Ruffin's Pet Centres vs Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Ruffin's Pet Centres Franchise
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Investment $150,000 - $200,000$170,382 - $281,606
Franchise Fee $20,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 4%4%
Advertising Fee 1%1%
Year Founded 19851981
Year Franchised 19871983
Term Of Agreement 5 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 5 years10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Ruffin's Pet Centres Franchise
Wild Birds Unlimited 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
 
Ruffin's Pet Centres Franchise
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/NoNo/Yes
Start-up Costs No/NoNo/Yes
Equipment No/NoNo/Yes
Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
Receivables No/NoNo/No
Payroll No/NoNo/No

Training & Support
 
Ruffin's Pet Centres Franchise
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Training - On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours Additional Training: Ongoing
Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesPurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations 0% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2

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

 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)

Expansion Plans
 
Ruffin's Pet Centres Franchise
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion NoYes
International Expansion YesYes

Company Overviews

About Ruffin's Pet Centres

Ruffin's Pet Centre started in a small town in Southern Ontario. The founder of the company opened a retail outlet after observing first-hand the success of a discount pet food chain. By combining the best features of a pet store with the benefits of a pet food store - the store was an immediate success. The pet industry proved to a growing enterprise and led to franchising, with the first store sold in September 1986 in Grimsby, Ontario. Since then we have added a 10,000 sq ft warehouse, hundreds of private label products and the most comprehensive line of pet food in the industry. After decades of success Ruffin's continues to provide pet owners the best products, selection and price. Ruffin's also provides a fantastic opportunity for pet business ownership with two retail pet franchise concepts available. Overall Ruffin's is the number one choice for success with pets!

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
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In Franchise Business Reviews' Top 200.
#8 in Gator's Top franchises.
#137 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#186 in Franchise 500 for 2021.