Pet ownership is growing. In addition to companionship, pet ownership is helping people combat loneliness and isolation – an understanding that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, there's never been a better time to enter the pet industry. Particularly considering an estimated 3.2 million more households in the UK have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic.
The Pet Food Manufacturing Association reports that there are now 34 million pets in the UK total, including 12 million cats and 12 million dogs, 3.2 million small mammals such as guinea pigs and hamsters, 3 million birds and 1.5 million reptiles. There are also 5 million aquaria.
As the UK moves closer to half of all households in the country owning pets, the pet industry will only continue to grow. As it stands, “Over their lifetime, the average cost of owning a pet is between £16,000 and £33,000 for a dog or cat. But, of course, some pets can be a lot cheaper, and others much, much more expensive,” per Money Helper UK.
Kinds of Pet Franchises
Pet franchises offer entry into a range of pet-related professions, such as dog franchises or cat franchises. Equally, these franchises can also range from pet retail to breeding and supply. Other businesses provide pet-sitting/daycare facilities, professional grooming, behavior training, and dog walking/minding.
Here’s more on a couple of major segments within the industry.
Pet Food
Of course, food is a major part of the pet industry.
In the UK alone, recent figures valued the pet food market at £3.2 billion. With the sheer size of this industry, it's clearly a booming sector of the market and a lucrative one in which to invest. With pet owners growing increasingly discerning about their pets' quality of life, there is much room for expansion into this industry by new franchisees.
Two of the market leaders in the pet food franchise industry are Husse and Oscar Pet Foods.
Husse, a Swedish pet food company with decades of experience and industry knowledge. They are the world’s largest pet food home delivery service. The UK has reacted fantastically to Husse’s launch in the UK, and the business has expanded rapidly since.
Oscar Pet Foods has been in pet food manufacturing for over 25 years, offering 17 life-stage and dietary-specific recipes. This home-based franchise with excellent support has thrived in the flourishing pet franchise industry.
Pet Care
It’s not just pet food franchises that are popular. Another booming industry segment is the pet sitting business. As long as there are pet owners who are time-short, there will be a growing demand for pet sitting businesses. If you are an animal lover who wants to capitalise off a lucrative market, a pet sitting franchise could be a wise investment.
And with people returning to pre-pandemic lifestyles, pet care franchises may be in for a bump. While some pet owners who worked from home during most of 2020 and 2021 will remain remote working and a number of offices may take a more pet-friendly approach, it can be forecasted that workers will need services to care for their furry loved ones while they’re at the office. In addition, the return of travel will likely increase the need for pet care and boarding services in the near future.
Advantages of a Pet Franchise over Independent Operation
People buy into franchises for many different reasons. Suppose you are enthusiastic about owning your own business, but can’t quite come up with a business idea of your own.
Or, maybe, you know exactly what you want to do, but the idea of doing all of the legwork in setting of a business – such as brand development, writing a business plan, learning the rules and regulations of the industry, finding how to supplement your existing skills in the area, figuring out marketing, etc. – makes your head spin.
In either case, franchising may be the best method for making your dreams come true.
When you invest in a franchise, you take on the methods of a business that (1) understands its established target market, and (2) has proven itself profitable and sustainable. These are two of the primary reasons many people find the prospect of a driving franchise very attractive.
Independent companies that go into business without the support of an established partner often struggle to penetrate the market. They often misunderstand what their customers want and how to fulfill that desire. It can take a long time, along with trial and error, for an independent company to get their service offering right.
On the other hand, franchises tend to enjoy more immediate success because the parent company has done their market research. The franchisor has spent time developing their services and products to meet the standards expected by their customers.
When you invest in a pet franchise, you inherit not only the immediately recognizable branding of the parent company but the tried-and-tested business model catering precisely to a client base who already know and love their products. You take on the parent company’s hard-earned reputation—and reputations are hard to build in the marketplace. Additionally, franchises often boast an existing supply chain and vendors that already know what the business needs.
Your franchise parent company usually provides an excellent training package for you and your employees to ensure that you can maintain their hard-earned reputation. In addition to training, many franchise partners offer a range of business support functions, including HR assistance and help in your business and employment regulation compliance.
What To Look for When Choosing a Pet Franchise
When deciding which franchise to invest in, you should compare how much and what types of support the franchisors offer on an initial and ongoing basis. The most common services offered by the franchisor include but are not limited to the following:
- Advertising and marketing strategy
- Advice and business support from headquarters
- Assistance in choosing and developing the franchise location
- Well-known branding
- Management training
- Operating manuals
- Quality standards
- Research and development of new services
With a recognisable brand name and logo, high-quality signage, and other support materials provided by the franchisor, you will be able to focus your efforts on the everyday aspects of running the business. This includes staffing and managing the company.
It’s important to remember that even with the guidance and support, franchises are independently-owned businesses. Therefore, whether your pet franchise is a success or failure is based entirely on you and your ability to run the company.
We love our pets in the UK, from your basic cats and dogs to the weird and wonderful tropical lizards, mammals, arachnids, and birds. In fact, we spend almost £8bn in the UK every year on caring for our furry and feathered friends - that includes feeding, grooming, sitting, and veterinary care.
The UK pet care sector is thriving, with consistent growth year on year. In fact, there was a 170% increase in spending on pet care between 2005 and 2020.
And while cats and dogs are the UK's favourite pets (12 million each according to the Pet Food Manufacturer's Association (PFMA)), we invite a whole range of animals into our families.
According to the PFMA, in 2021, UK households cared for:
- 12 million dogs
- 12 million cats
- 5 million fishtanks
- 4 million outdoor ponds
- 1.3 million indoor birds
- 1.2 million domestic fowl
- 1 million rabbits
- 800,000 Guinea pigs
- 600,000 hamsters
- 500,000 horse & ponies
- 500,000 pigeons
- 400,000 tortoises & turtles
That’s a heck of a lot of beloved pets, proving that investing in pet franchises is a wise move, with a continual pet population requiring care and pampering.
Pet franchises offer a range of pet-related services, including:
Veterinary services
Walking and sitting
Pet stores
Food (and specialist foods)
Treats
Accessories, such as cages, flea collars, and leads
Pet clothing
Pet insurance
So, if you love animals and want to help other people care for their beloved pets, it's time to consider taking on a pet franchise as a great way to share the love!
Franchising
Many businesspeople consider franchising a safer way to become their own boss because the company's operational model has already been tried-and-tested.
One of the most significant obstacles for all new businesses is the existing competition: making a noise above the brands that customers already know and love can be super-challenging. This means that early years independent companies often struggle to penetrate the marketplace.
On the other hand, franchises often hit the ground running after investing in a parent company that has already carved its niche in the marketplace. A pet franchise comes with instantly recognisable branding that brings immediate curb appeal, helping your future customers find your new operation over the indies with no prior reputation.
So, an investment in a pet franchise is a venture into a known market with an established customer base.
Investing in a pet franchise provides:
Immediate customer recognition from branding
An existing marketing presence
Online authority
A ready-made reputation for excellent customer service
A tried-and-tested product line proven to resonate with the customer base
In addition, an investment in a franchise is an acquisition in career development because most parent companies offer world-class training opportunities to ensure you can maintain their hard-earned reputation for excellence.
So, if you've reached your absolute limit with your current job, think about the freedoms and joy of working for yourself. Define your own hours and prosper from a valuable partnership with an experienced pet franchise.
Investing in a pet franchise with Franchise Direct allows you to benefit from:
An expert training programme
Ongoing business support
HR functionality, offering business-, financial, and employment support. Yes - the stuff that keeps most business owners awake at night!
Facts About Pet Franchises
Almost 60% of all UK households share their homes with one or more pets.
It's estimated that owning a dog costs as much as £16,000 over its lifetime - that's a tremendous amount of money on food, toys, accessories, and services that keep that tail a-wagging.
While pedigree pets are a status symbol, they're often accompanied by various health conditions associated with in-breeding. So while pedigree animals are attractive, they can cost far more to care for. Luckily, the UK loves a moggy - a mixed breed or non-pedigree cat - with the majority of domestic cats falling into this more genitally-diverse category, providing longer lives and more balanced personalities.
Almost half of all pet owners in the UK consider their pet an essential member of the family, fitting their lives around their pets as much as they can.
Pet owners spend a vast amount of their disposable income on their pets, including:
£200 a year on pet clothing
Veterinary and pet services
25% of UK pet owners buy their pets birthday presents, spending - on average - £264 each year.
Almost 90% of pet owners in the UK spend up to £50 on pet-based gifts each time they visit a pet store
And 15% of all UK households consider their pet their principal priority, often replacing children. This same demographic claims that money is no object in satisfying and caring for their furry friend.
Franchising Vs. Independent
Going into business requires collateral - that's startup costs to cover the infrastructural needs of your new company. When you start up, you'll need premises (unless you're running an online business), stock and storage, a marketing budget, and the ability to serve your customers.
That all takes money, and while the average investment for a pet franchise is relatively low compared to other franchise opportunities, you're likely to require funding from a moneylender.
This is where franchising comes into its own because banks and moneylenders tend to look favourably on franchises. After all, the business model has been road-tested and proven successful, profitable, and capable of growth. And most importantly, the risk of a return on their investment is much lower with a franchise.
Compare that to independent companies going into business without the ongoing support of an established partner. Indies often struggle to achieve their funding aims because their business remains untested, and they have no evidence of viability, unlike franchise startups.
For this reason, over half of all indies fail within five years as they struggle to establish a reputation among the existing competition.
In contrast, franchises generally survive through those first five years because the parent company has done all of the necessary groundwork, offering an opportunity that:
Starts with an existing customer base
Has road-tested and honed their services
Has tackled the financial obstacles of early years businesses.
For a better start, invest in a pet franchise with Franchise Direct!
Pet Franchises
Check out Franchise Direct's perfect selection of pet franchises. And help UK’s animal fanatics to enjoy their pets more and more with each day.
Find your brand new start with Franchise Direct.