Wild Birds Unlimited vs Petland Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Wild Birds Unlimited vs Petland including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Petland Franchise
Investment $170,382 - $281,606$300,500 - $1,065,500
Franchise Fee $30,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 4%4.5%
Advertising Fee 1%-
Year Founded 19811967
Year Franchised 19831971
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Petland Franchise
Experience

* Enthusiastic about nature and backyard bird feeding * Interested in owning your own business and working for yourself * Willing to work with others who share the same interests * Committed to building a Business Enterprise *Committed to delivering the ultimate WBU customer experience *Committed to following WBU 'Best Practices' to operate your own WBU store *Comfortable with the needs associated with running a business

-

Financing Options
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Petland Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/YesNo/Yes
Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
Inventory No/YesNo/Yes
Receivables No/NoNo/Yes
Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

Training & Support
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Petland Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours Additional Training: Ongoing On-The-Job Training: up to 77 hours Classroom Training: 79 hours Additional Training: In-store training
Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations 25% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Number of Employees Required to Run: 18

Expansion Plans
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Petland Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion YesNo
International Expansion YesYes

Company Overviews

About Wild Birds Unlimited

Jim Carpenter opened the first Wild Birds Unlimited store in Indianapolis in 1981. In 1983 he began franchising. The privately owned company is based in Carmel, Indiana. Each store sells bird-feeding and bird-watching supplies, including birdhouses, feeders, food and binoculars.
We support you all the way:
  • Rated #1 or #2 in Retail for Franchisee Satisfaction for 14 years
  • Rated in Top 10 Overall for Franchisee Satisfaction for more than 6 years
  • Proven, 35+ year business model
  • Our pre-opening support covers business planning, site selection, lease negotiations, classroom and in-store training, store design and layout
  • Our on-going support includes marketing, merchandising and purchasing, store operations, nature and hobby education, financial and information systems
  • Strong customer loyalty by providing an exceptional customer experience and the highest quality bird food and bird feeding products in the industry
  • Many US and Canadian markets are still available for development
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a  Wild Birds Unlimited Store is from $170,382 to $281,606 for a new franchisee ($145,382 to $256,606 for an existing franchisee who is purchasing an additional Wild Birds Unlimited franchise). This includes an amount of $52,860 - $54,260 that must be paid to the franchisor by a new franchisee (or $27,860 - $29,260 by any existing franchisee).
Veteran Incentives  15% off franchise fee
   ""     "Top    "Entrepreneur
In Franchise Business Reviews' Top 200.
#8 in Gator's Top franchises.
#137 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#186 in Franchise 500 for 2021.









About Petland

Starting operations in 1967 in Ohio, Petland sells pets and pet-related merchandise to consumers throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Chile and Israel. Each Petland location sells fish, birds, cats, dogs, small animals, reptiles and the food and accessories needed to care for them.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a new Petland® franchise is between $300,500 and $1,065,500. This total investment, for new franchises, includes amounts ranging from $117,500 to $352,500 that must be paid to the franchisor.
The initial total development does not include Real Estate purchase or lease expenses or costs (except for a lease deposit). To develop more than one Petland® store, you must enter into an Area Development Agreement. Development fees for area development agreements are $40,000 for the first store plus $20,000 for each additional store you commit to open under your development schedule (these amounts will be credited against the payment of your initial franchise fees). By way of example, for a two-store area development agreement, the total investment is between $61,500 to $65,000, of which $60,000 that must be paid to the franchisor.
Veteran Incentives  10% off franchise fee
""   "Entrepreneur
#117 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#171 in Franchise 500 for 2021.