Franchisor Stories

Franchise Deep Dive: Petland's Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data
Founder Ed Kunzelman has worked in the pet industry since he was 15 years old.

Franchisor Stories

Founder Ed Kunzelman has worked in the pet industry since he was 15 years old.

REPORTED ROI (Item 19): $946,519-$13,989,732
Petland was founded in 1967 in Ohio. It is a privately held company and started financing in 1971. Founder Ed Kunzelman got his start in the pet business by selling tropical fish out of his Ohio home. One of his customers suggested he set up a storefront, and he rented his building with a partner at just 15 years old. This store only sold tropical fish. Unfortunately, the partner found a better-paying job and the store had to close. In the summer of 1967, after spending some adult years as a teacher, Kunzelman rented a building and opened up the first Petland. He continued to teach and run his pet business with a partner who was also a teacher. In the following summer, the duo opened another store but did not begin franchising until later.
There are 91 Petland locations in the U.S., according to the 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Of those 91 stores, 20 are company-owned, and 71 are franchises. According to Entrepreneur, Petland has over 30 territories in Canada and more than 100 overseas.
Petland stores range from 2,000 to 6,000 square feet. Petland offers turnkey, ready-to-move-in stores. Franchisees can choose to provide some or all of the development management with the guidance of the Petland team.
Petland owners can earn a range of $946,519–$13,989,732 according to the 2022 FDD. These numbers do not reflect international stores.
The initial investment cost to open a Petland is $299,000 to approximately $900,000, according to Entrepreneur. Initial investment costs can go as high as $1,065,500. A breakdown of the costs as reported by Entrepreneur is below.
The franchisee fee is not reported on the Petland website. However, Entrepreneur reports that the franchise fee is $40,000.
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