Wild Birds Unlimited vs Bosley's Pet Food Plus Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Bosley's Pet Food Plus Franchise
Investment $170,382 - $281,606$150,000 - And Up
Franchise Fee $30,000$25,000
Royalty Fee 4%5%
Advertising Fee 1%-
Year Founded 19811979
Year Franchised 19831982
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Bosley's Pet Food Plus 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

*Unencumbered capital of at least $150,000 *Business experience, retail experience preferred, and financial strength *Strong interpersonal and communication skills and enjoy dealing with the public *Having a strong love of pets would be desirable *Must be prepared to operate within the guidelines of the Bosley's system in order to present a consistent operating presence established by Bosley's in terms of look, feel, and customer service and product offerings.

Financing Options

 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Bosley's Pet Food Plus Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
Equipment No/Yes-/-
Inventory No/Yes-/-
Receivables No/No-/-
Payroll No/No-/-

Training & Support

 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Bosley's Pet Food Plus Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours Additional Training: Ongoing -
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 -
Marketing Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising 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)

*Must live within one hour's driving distance of the franchise store. *Handling of heavy pet foods and litter *Being on ones feet for much of a day *The store will be open 7 days per week for most weeks of the year. *Requires the personal involvement of the franchisee in the day to day operations of the store.

Expansion Plans

 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
Bosley's Pet Food Plus Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion YesYes
International Expansion Yes-

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 Bosley's Pet Food Plus

A rewarding business opportunity for pet lovers!Bosley's, winner of the Consumers' Choice Award for Business Excellence for eleven years running from 1999 to 2009, is offering exciting business opportunities for entrepreneurs who wish to own and operate a pet store in BC and make a difference in serving pet lovers in their community. With 30 years of success in BC, Bosley's is known for its most important asset: its people. With a culture embedded with the unique Bosley's friendly spirit, drive and determination and a firm commitment to employee development, it is no wonder that our company has many of the longest serving employees and franchisees in our industry. Today, Bosley's mission is clear: as British Columbia's leading pet specialty retailer we offer a full assortment of products at competitive prices and Pet Specialists who provide exceptional service and knowledge in ways which create significant value for our customers. Bosley's success can be attributed to Service, People, Knowledge, Innovation and Fun. Canadians are projected to spend over $4 billion on their pets in 2009 and beyond. The growth of the pet industry has been remarkable and Bosley's is a leader in the pet specialty segment of this industry in BC.Bosley's franchising is part of our partnership philosophy which encompasses our employees, our franchisees, our suppliers and our service providers focused on building a profitable business driven by ethics and integrity. Franchisees must have a strong commitment to providing education on pet nutrition and care and exceptional levels of customer service. A Bosley's franchise provides entrepreneurial store owners a competitive advantage through buying power, core merchandising programs, a complete and cohesive operating system including a fully integrated POS system encompassing all facets of the business operations, extensive marketing and advertising programs, the best website on the planet and on-going support to guide Franchisees from early days to a business divestiture.