Start a Petland Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #215 Ranked #152 last year

Initial investment: $316K - $1.1M

Units as of 2024: 319 33.5% over 3 years

Since its opening in 1967, Petland’s mission has been to "match the right pet with the right person.” Through their professionally-trained pet consultants, Petland makes this goal their priority. Petland sells tropical fish, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, domestic birds, puppies, and kittens as a full-service pet retail store.

Petland is dedicated to creating safe and clean spaces for all its animals. Since Petland started franchising in 1971, Petland has more than 70 locations in the United States and wants to open more. It also has a strong international presence, with over 30 territories in Canada and more than 100 outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Why You May Want to Start a Petland Franchise

Besides matching owners with their new pets, Petland sells over 4,000 retail items. Over 1,500 items are Petland branded and sold exclusively in Petland's retail stores.

Additionally, Petland refuses to sell puppy mill dogs. They make sure each animal is sourced from breeders who uphold the most humane standards. Every breeder for Petland must provide safe housing, socialization, exercise, state-issued certifications, and veterinarian consults for their dogs. Some of Petland's animals even come from local adoption centers as part of their Adopt-a-Pet program.

What Might Make a Petland Franchise a Good Choice?

As a franchisee, Petland will help you begin your experience as a part of the company. Owning a Petland store is an exciting and potentially rewarding experience. Fortunately, you don't need to be a pet expert to buy a Petland franchise because Petland prides itself on providing you with the best training program in the industry.

Petland hosts a multi-day technical training session at the Petland training shop. There, you will learn about opening and closing procedures, pet care, scheduling, and equipment management for your Petland franchise. You will also receive multiple weeks of training from Petland during the process of opening your pet store. A few weeks will be at Petland headquarters in Chillicothe, Ohio, and a few more will be at your new store. In this round of training, you will learn how to operate your Petland business, including financial operations, managing employees, animal welfare strategies, product management, merchandising, customer engagement, and marketing programs.

As a part of the training, Petland will also provide you with operating manuals and videos for your reference. Petland hosts regular management training programs throughout the year, as well as regional training opportunities. With ample training opportunities, Petland wants its franchisees to be prepared when their franchise doors open.

How to Open a Petland Franchise

To qualify financially for a Petland franchise, you need a sizable amount of liquid capital. Total investment fees for a Petland franchise can have a wide range, depending on your location and size. You should also be prepared to pay a franchise fee and other startup costs to get into the Petland company. You will also be expected to pay an ongoing royalty fee.

To franchise with Petland, you must be ambitious, outgoing, and love pets. You should also enjoy operating the Petland business' back end, dealing with financial resources, and monitoring growth. If this sounds like you, get started by submitting an inquiry with Petland for more franchise information. If you are approved to begin the process, the dedicated team at Petland will help you put together a business plan, choose a location, and plan your grand opening.

Company Overview

About Petland

Industry	Pets
Related Categories	Pet Stores
Founded	1967
Parent Company	Petland Inc.
Leadership	Joe Watson, CEO
Corporate Address	250 Riverside St. Chillicothe, OH 45601
Social	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1971 (54 years)
# of employees at HQ	73
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises worldwide. This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	319 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Petland franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$50,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$315,500 - $1,080,500
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$1,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$150,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	4.5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	0.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	20 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Petland has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	Up to 100.5 hours
Classroom Training	Up to 55.5 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	15-20
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes