Love Animals? Invest in a Pet Care Franchise

Pet lovers are always short of options when they wish to pamper their pets or even get good quality pet essentials. India has a niche market in the pet care industry. In 2019, India had 23 million dogs and 4 million cats as pet adoptions.

Why Opt for Pet Care Industry?

If you are a pet parent or a pet lover and looking for franchising opportunities, you should consider pet care franchising. The pet care industry has taken a leap because of the increase in its target market. Nuclear families are the ones that are increasingly adopting pets and because there is an increase in nuclear families, the market for pets has also seen a rise.

There are very few brands in this sector and hence competition is almost zero.  There are 6,00,000 adoptions each year in India. It’s a huge market to cater to. The expected growth rate of this industry between the years 2019- 2027 is 17%. Also, the CAGR is expected to be 20%, which is a very good percentage. This will become the fastest growing industry.

Even with the lockdown during COVID, it has been seen that there was an increase in pet adoptions as well as the demand for pet apparel.

Investing in such a niche market that can give huge profit margins is a not-to-miss opportunity.

Dog-O-Bow: A Luxury Brand in Pet Care

Investing in just any other brand is not a good idea. A good brand that has the quality and gives you a good margin would be an ideal franchising option. Dog-O-Bow is one such brand that is a one-stop-shop for all pet needs.

Dog-O-Bow was started to bring the international standards of pet retailing shopping experience in India. It was started as a clothing brand for pets and eventually went to manufacturing and selling pet essentials, accessories, and also pet grooming. It was started in the year 2018 and now has around 400 SKUs in Hyderabad. It had a turnover of above Rs 1 crore in 2 years.

Dog-O-Bow is a premium pet store that aims in providing a good experience for pets and pet parents. It is hygienic and clean where the clients can relax while their pets are groomed.

Some of the key services it provides include pet products and accessories like bowls and cages, pet food products, pet grooming, and apparel.

Why Choose Dog-O-Bow?

Dog-O-Bow is one of a kind luxury pet store that gives a pleasant experience to the client while maintaining quality standards.

The USP of the brand is that its clothing is customizable. They customize any print in a day or two. They have an in-house manufacturing unit that makes products keeping in mind the pain points of the pets.  It has the finest grooming services that get back its customers. There are membership programs that give complimentary grooming on every ninth service.

The brand gives several benefits to its customers to make it a pleasurable visit. The shop environment is hygienic. It has varied products to cater to different income groups. There is periodic innovation in products like special costumes or wedding outfit matches. The product wear and tear is taken care of by the store. Personal attention is given to each customer especially the new pet parents who need guidance. All these factors make a satisfactory experience for the client which shows high customer retention.

Franchising with Dog-O-Bow

Currently, the Dog-O-Bow stores are 1,000 sq ft in area. But now, it is looking for franchisees with an area of 600 sq ft. The location should preferably be a high footfall area, maybe a residential area but in a by-lane and not on main roads so as to avoid anxiety in pets with the moving car.

A total investment of Rs 22 lakhs is required, where the franchise fee is Rs 3 lakhs. The remaining Rs 19 lakhs is used for equipment, initial stock, and business promotion. The royalty charges are at 6% only on the products not manufactured by the brand.

The expected payback period is 1 year and 10 months. The brand is expecting a growth of 80% each year. They believe in long-term relationships and brand identity creation and hence the franchise agreement is signed for a term of 5 years.

In terms of direct benefits to a partner, the brand gives a profit margin of 35-55%. And because the firm is manufacturing most of its products, there is an added advantage to the partner.

Dog-O-Bow is open to expansion in any city in India, preferably tier-II cities like Vishakhapatnam and Bhopal.

Four employees are required in each store. One is the store manager, two groomers, and cleaning staff to maintain hygiene and cleanliness. The groomer plays a very important part in the store. He has to be comfortable with the pets.

Support Offered by Dog-O-Bow

The training on how to sell products, make the client comfortable and how to guide the new pet parents is given by the brand to all the managers and groomers. Also, they are trained on how a garment is to be worn because different outfits have Velcro’s or buckles at different places.

The initial inventory suggestions will be given by the brand and the next purchases would be by the franchisee after exploring the market. But, the apparel inventory would be decided by Dog-O-Bow. Other products like pet food and shampoos can be directly sourced from the distributors that are locally easier to deal with.

There is a centralised marketing system. The brand runs ads on social media. There are launch events or even write-ups in print media. Inputs from the franchisees are welcome.

Dog-O-Bow believes in a long term relationship and treats the partners as an extended family and expects the partner to maintain the brand identity. It is the responsibility of the partner to find the location and manage or train the staff.

Edited By: Vaishnavi Gupta