Vancouverites’ love of dogs makes the region an ideal place for the world’s largest mobile pet grooming business to seek franchisees.
Five-year-old Australia-based Aussie Pet Mobile already services more than 700 territories in the U.S. and 12 overseas countries, including Ireland, China and Taiwan.
Michelle Berg is the first local franchisee, and she is currently servicing the entire Lower Mainland. Soon, she expects to be able to focus exclusively on West Vancouver and North Vancouver.
Franchisees buy a Mercedes sprinter van that is large enough to walk around in. It also includes sinks, blow-dry units and other necessities for grooming pets.
Generous pet owners may also opt to give their pooch a 15-step spa treatment that includes a shampoo, massage, hand-dry, brushing and nail trimming.
Aussie Pet Mobile Canada plans to have four more franchisees in B.C. within the next six months.
Some other recently awarded franchises include one in the Tri-Cities and one for mid-Vancouver Island.
“I really like pets. It was pretty important for me to find something of that nature,” Berg told Business in Vancouver. “Aussie Pet Mobile definitely has done that for me.”
The company charges single-unit franchisees $29,000 with the one-time fee for multi-unit franchisees varying depending on the size of the territory.
Total startup costs tend to be about $100,000 for a single unit territory and about $140,000 for larger multi-unit territories.
The company charges initial royalties of 8% plus a 4% marketing commission. Those charges get reduced to a 5% royalty and a 3% marketing commission once revenue reaches $15,000 per month.