Wild Birds Unlimited vs EarthWise Pets Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
EarthWise Pets Franchise
Investment $170,382 - $281,606$233,000 - $568,000
Franchise Fee $30,000$39,500
Royalty Fee 4%6%
Advertising Fee 1%1%
Year Founded 19812005
Year Franchised 19832008
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
EarthWise Pets 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

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

Training & Support
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
EarthWise Pets Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours Additional Training: Ongoing On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 80 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 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 Co-op Advertising Ad Templates 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)

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Expansion Plans
 
Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise
EarthWise Pets Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion Yes-
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 EarthWise Pets

The very first thing you should understand about EarthWise Pet and its family of brands: We don’t sell pets. We never did.

We are a coalition of locally-owned and operated pet nutrition stores and pet wellness spas striving to accomplish a unified mission to better the lives of our furry family members. Our first family owned store was opened in 1977 in Westminster, California and Huntington Beach, California.

Now, with over 150 locations and 40 years of experience, we have developed a service that provides a truly unique pet store experience.

At EarthWise Pets, we pride ourselves in striving to be the most innovative pet supply, grooming, and self wash retail chain in America. This allows our franchisees to have peace of mind in knowing that their franchise company is constantly working on developing creative new ways to keep them growing each and every year.  What we have in store next is revolutionary!
Veteran Incentives  First-year ad royalty waived, 2-day training with CEO, free business plan