Franchisees Satisfy Growing Demand for Healthful Dog and Cat Food
Joe Alnaraie had owned an industrial manufacturing business for 20 years, sold it and then missed being his own boss. As he looked to start a new business, serendipity led him to the Pet Wants franchise. “While doing research on foods for my dog Max, I realized that not only could we help find much better foods for our dog,” he says, “but that the pet food industry was huge and growing.”
Alnaraie – who launched his Clarkston, Mich., franchise in November 2021 – isn’t exaggerating about pet franchise opportunities. With U.S. pet owners leading the pack in demand, the global pet food market eclipsed $103 billion in 2023 and is projected to increase 4.4% per year from 2024 to 2030, market specialist Grand View Research states. The strength of the U.S. pet food industry isn’t just a spike; the industry has grown steadily since 2020, according to Grand View, which attributes demand to pet adoptions and rising concern for pets’ health. Grand View adds that “convenience is likely to play a vital role in driving this industry.”
Grooming services, another revenue stream for Pet Wants franchisees, also are booming. Grand View estimated the global pet-grooming market at $5.38 billion in 2021 and predicts it will increase 7.09% annually from now until 2030.
Benefits of the Pet Wants Franchise
The mobile and brick-and-mortar Pet Wants franchise checks key boxes with its healthful products and convenience. “Pet Wants’ food and concept are great,” Alnaraie says. The brand offers all-natural cat and dog foods, treats, chews, and grooming products through subscription and delivery services. Pet Wants’ foods are prepared in small batches using high-quality protein sources.
Although “having a storefront was really what I always wanted,” Alnaraie started his Pet Wants franchise as mobile-only. “This allowed us to build a client base before opening a store. I think this approach has unintended consequences as well. We built our knowledge and our confidence in pet nutrition long before dealing with the day-to-day aspect of running a brick-and-mortar store. I can’t imagine trying to run a store while still learning the basics of nutrition. The stores tend to be small and boutique-like, which fits what we do.”
Operating His Store
He describes his store’s daily operation as “fairly routine. We open the store and start filling online orders and subscription orders. The first dogs start rolling into the store for grooming early. The rest of the day consists of regular and new customers coming in for food, treats and consultations. We usually have a few self-wash customers every day, which requires some manual labor for cleanup.”
He says the biggest obstacle to opening a store “is knowing you have to quit your day job and give up the steady paycheck. Once you’re all in, the transition is easy. The deciding factor for us was that we were given a second dog, Teddy, a Bichon mix, who requires professional grooming. We convinced Teddy’s groomer to join us long before we signed a lease, and she advised us on real-world space and equipment requirements.
“Finding a good groomer is very difficult, and appointments are usually weeks, if not months, out. That’s true for us – we’re booking out several weeks for grooming. We currently employ two full-time professional groomers, and we have one trainee who should be ready to work independently within the next eight to 10 months.”
Many of our customers describe us as the Whole Foods for their pets.
Two Trends
During his nearly three years as a Pet Wants franchisee, Alnaraie has witnessed a couple of significant trends. One is the continuously rising demand for top-quality foods (confirming Grand View’s observation), with his business serving as their go-to retailer. “Many of our customers describe us as a Whole Foods for their pets,” he says.
Another trend is the preference for raw diets for dogs and cats. Pet Wants franchisees meet that need with the brand’s freeze-dried food and by selling other franchise-approved brands of frozen pet food.
Pet Wants Franchise Support
He praises Pet Wants’ corporate leadership and marketing as “competent, thorough and strong.” The affordable brand stands out as a pet franchise opportunity because of its support to franchisees, which includes assistance with financing, site selection, lease negotiation, recruiting and advertising. Training consists of four to five weeks that the franchisee completes at home followed by a one-week workshop in Cincinnati. In addition to meeting the brand’s financial requirements, franchisees should have a passion for pets. “I don’t think you could own this kind of business without being a pet lover,” Alnaraie says. “Your customers would know if you were just in it for the money!” Pet Wants has 146 franchised units and is expanding nationwide.
For more information, visit https://franchiseexpert.com/franchise-evaluations/pet-wants/.
