Wild Birds Unlimited Kicks Off 2017 by Opening New Stores in Key Development Markets
On the heels of its strongest development year in a decade, Wild Birds Unlimited has proven that its franchise opportunity is second to none. Not only does the leading franchise concept connect people with nature in more than 300 locations across the country, it also provides entrepreneurs with an unrivaled business ownership opportunity. And as its recent openings suggest, Wild Birds Unlimited is positioned to experience another record-breaking year.
Since the start of 2017, the brand has celebrated grand openings in two key development markets: Huntington Beach, California and Keller, Texas. The franchisees behind the California location pursued ownership after stumbling across the brand as consumers, while the owner of the Texas store found Wild Birds Unlimited’s franchise opportunity during an active search for brands to purchase. But now, both locations are thriving on the heels of their grand openings.
“None of us have ever opened a retail store before. And now that we’ve gone through this process, I can say with absolute certainty that there’s no way we could have done it without Wild Birds Unlimited,” said Michelle Gottlieb, one of the franchisees behind Wild Birds Unlimited in Huntington Beach. “The brand has made the grand opening process as painless as possible, and they’ve been so warm and friendly since day one. They’ve held our hand every step of the way, and answered every question we’ve asked without hesitation. That’s made all the difference in making our grand opening successful.”
Michelle owns Huntington Beach’s new Wild Birds Unlimited store along with her husband, Jonathan, and son, Noah. Even though no one in their family had built their own retail store from the ground up before, Noah has previous experience in the industry. And he says what makes the brand so successful is its commitment to quality.
“I’ve compared our products to the competition’s, and there isn’t anything that comes close to matching Wild Birds Unlimited. I’ve never seen this good of quality before in any industry—when we make a lifetime guarantee, we mean it,” said Noah. “That’s what makes working with Wild Birds Unlimited so enjoyable. I look forward to seeing customers come back to our store who are excited about buying more seed or a new feeder because they know it’s the best.”
Customer satisfaction is also already high in Keller, Texas—franchisee Donna Berry says that’s one of the main reasons she was drawn to the brand in the first place. Since opening her store on January 5, she’s already established a base of loyal, repeat customers.
“I already feel like my store is a part of the local community. There are other Wild Birds Unlimited locations across Texas, so I benefited from that brand awareness. But now, people in my neighborhood don’t have to go as far to buy their bird feeders and seed,” said Berry. “I also think it’s the brand’s team and staff that makes it stand out. Everyone here truly cares about bringing people and nature together, and they know what they’re talking about when it comes to the best products to use in order to attract specific birds.”
While the Gottliebs and Berry are operating Wild Birds Unlimited stores in two different markets, they have one thing in common: they both plan to grow with the brand. After their first stores are successfully up and running and they fall into a routine, the franchisees all plan to capitalize on Wild Birds Unlimited’s multi-unit ownership opportunity.
“We couldn’t be more excited about our strong start to the year. Our franchisees in Huntington Beach and Keller are already exceeding expectations,” said Paul Pickett, chief development officer for Wild Birds Unlimited. “Now that 2017 is officially underway and we have a couple of successful grand openings under our belt, we’re ready to hit the ground running to make this year the best one yet in terms of Wild Birds Unlimited’s nationwide expansion efforts.”