Thinking about opening a pet store....yes, seriously!

BarbV

BarbV

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As many of you know, I lost my senior VP job in April. I'm going to be 50 this year, and I'm loathe to try and start another corporate job elsewhere.

I'm seriously considering opening up a pet store. I've been doing tons of research and there are a three pet franchises I'm looking at - each offers a slightly different value proposition.

So I thought I would put it out to the forum as to what is important to you in a pet store - i.e. what would bring you back time and again....To get you thinking here are a few differentiators to consider. When answering, consider what brings you to Petsmart, your local petstore or online shopping for unique items

- large selection of dog food products - pre-fab or raw frozen. That is, would you choose your pet store by who sells the brand that you want or would you be open to other brands if the store offered other "attractions"
- price - I'm asking here about buying at the grocery store vs. a pet store. Where do you buy your food currently.
- location - how far would you drive
- shopping experience - do you expect trained and knowledable staff to help you make a decision?
- for unique product (e.g. leashes, collars, grooming supplies, speciality items) are you more likely to shop online or check your pet store first. How satisfied have you been shopping for these items at your pet store?
- how interested would you be in a store that offered pet supplies, as well as grooming and dog day care, or even a dog cafe?
- given the aging baby boomers with disposable income is there a market for "high end" pet experience?

I know these are very broad questions, but any input is appreciated. I'm looking at 3 very different business models and am trying to determine which one makes more sense.

Thanks so very much in advance!

Barb

p.s. Moderators....if I've posted in the wrong place, please move me as appropriate. Thx
 
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Barb, I think this is an awesome idea. I wish I lived closer, because I would love to help!

I'll answer your questions from my perspective.

What do I look for in a pet food store? I look for a large selection of QUALITY products. I want all those high quality foods, even if I don't feed them, because I know it indicates a level of knowledge about nutrition and health. I also look for a place that sells the popular, helpful toys and treats. (For example, Wellness Wellbites, or Kongs)

Because I live in a big city, I have a lot of choices in the area. In the past I drove 15 minutes to a place that carried my dog food brand. But now I drive about 10 minutes to a place that has lower prices. There is a place 2 minutes down the road, but they sell foods at about $5/bag more (for 5lbs).

I don't care about grooming because I don't trust anyone to groom a sheltie. I also don't care about daycare or training...I'm not interested in daycare for my two, and as for training, I'd rather leave that to the "experts" rather than cross-trained employees.

I rarely shop at the large pet stores (PetSmart, PetCo) anymore because they don't carry my food (they don't have a big selection of premium foods). As long as the smaller pet stores carry other items at at least a reasonably similar price, I'll stay loyal to the small store and do all my shopping in one place.

I think having a knowledgeable staff is a plus, and it would keep me coming back, but it's not something I expect. I rarely expect anyone to know as much as I do about dogs and food (not that I know that much, but I compare myself to the "average dog person").

The one thing that I never rarely look for in a store is leashes or collars. Firstly because I only have one for my dogs, and I bought it when they were puppies. Secondly, I think that a "supplemental" leash is more specific. The people who want more than one of these either have something specific in mind (holidays, seasonal, sporty, etc...) or are looking for a type of leash for a particular venue (agility, conformation, obedience). I might be wrong. But my dogs each have one collar, and 3 leashes. The one leash is Lupine (so the quality "regular" leash), and the other two are slip leads specific for agility.

I hope that helps--I know it was a lot of info. I can clarify if need be.

Also keep in mind that the people on this forum probably are a much more knowledgeable dog crowd than the average public. So I would think that we are in the minority (as opposed to the average dog owner). But then, the average dog owner probably feeds a cheaper food, doesn't worry as much about training, etc...so it just depends who you want your target market to be.

I think specialty stores have become more and more popular (less of a niche market) because pets are becoming more and more like family members.
 
Ashley

Fantastic feedback! Thanks so much!

One of the franchises I am looking at is very niche.....speciality dog dishes, collars and food. Only carried about 10 brands (Now! and Go! prevalent) The store was actually arranged almost like a clothing store with goods arranged by colour (a slight exaggeration - the food was all in the back), but you had to walk by very artfully arranged doggie specialty products.

Interestingly enough, as much as I love to buy for my dogs, and as well done as it was, I was not motivated to buy. But maybe that was me just being frugal.

I tend to think that people tend to buy the novelty or luxory items online - impulse buying. But give them a good selection of staples....

I hear what you say about not trusting your dogs to any groomer but yourself. But what if you could actually find a groomer that specialized in your breed? Would that change your thinking?

Again, thanks for your feedback. I appreciated everyone's input as it will help me "define" the correct target and therefore the correct franchise - assuming I have the wherewithal to carry it through.
 
I think this is a great idea, too, Barb, and I can really see you making a success at it.

There are three "natural" pet stores near me, all 10 minutes away. They all carry holistic, good quality food (no supermarket brands) and for years, I shopped at one in the next town. Then, one opened in my town. The girl who runs it is very knowledgeable about foods, brands, ingredients, and the companies which make them. This is very important to me, and my first priority.

One of the other stores in the area carries probably as wide a range of good food, but also alot of other specialty products -- everything from dog clothes to purses and high end items. They offer doggie parties for holidays, and home-made birthday cakes. I've only been in there once...it's not what I look for in a store.

IMO, you may go into a store like that a few times, but the one you're going to keep going back to is the one with the staff that knows the products that are most important. And let's face it, food and treats are things we buy all the time -- not clothes, leashes and the like.

One idea I've spoken about to the gal who owns the store I frequent is running a series of seminars about topics of interest to pet owners, such as feeding, grooming, training, canine sports and bringing in vets or breed experts to do that. There's definitely a market for that, I think, and it gets people in the store and educates them at the same time.

The one thing I can't buy locally anywhere that is worth considering is show products. I always have to order those online, whether it's the good shampoos, show collars, leashes etc. There's a growing market for agility products and equipment. Maybe this is too broad for what you're considering, but we have a lot of dogs in my area who participate in performance sports and several facilities, but no place you can buy supplies! Something else to consider.

Hope this helps! I wish you much luck and do keep us posted as you go along.
 
I'm going to sleep on this... (Not even read Ann and Ashley's thoughts) and come back to you tomorrow.
 
BarbV said:
I hear what you say about not trusting your dogs to any groomer but yourself. But what if you could actually find a groomer that specialized in your breed? Would that change your thinking?
Click to expand...

Yes, that would change my thinking...but

A) How would you get word out? I tend to totally discredit in-store grooming as a "one stop chop" type of place. You would have to definitely do some specific marketing. Would it be worth it? How many people have purebred dogs that are looking for that specific groomer vs. those people who just want an electric trim for summer?

B) Would it be hard to find a groomer (or multiple) who between them could cover the majority of breeds? Every dog has a special type of grooming (though arguably some are easier than others).

I like Ann's idea of seminars. I think the idea of a place that says "I know a lot about dogs...and I'm always seeking to learn more, and teach others more" is a huge draw for me.
 
I get my food and treats at an old feedstore that carries a ton of higher end foods. I occasionally go to Petsmart for toys like a chuckit, frisbees or giant rawhides (Sca likes the ones sized for a great dane). The local Petco is dirty so I avoid it. I also get exercise balls at Wal Mart or wherever.
 
Barb you may not like my idea but why don't you consider working a few of the smaller pet stores in your area so you can research what type of customer is shopping your area what they are looking for and why the customers shop each store. What keeps them coming back to one location over the other. It won't pay much but the knowledge you'll gain is priceless if you want to open a store. Retail is not easy you deal with all types of people on a daily basis and are there to serve them and they expect consistant good service. I did it for over 20 years and was very good at it but it can be trying.

I look for a variety of quality foods, how much knowledge the employees have about the products and of course good friendly customer service. I think if I was to open a store I would start without grooming. Insurance could be costly in case of injury to a pet and alot of people offer grooming. I think educating your customers in other areas is the way to go.
 
Shopping

When I go to the pet store I know exactly what kind of food I want which is higher end. I may also get some new rawhides. If another store close by has a sale I will go there and stock up if it is a good discount. I groom my Danny Boy myself. I do see a lot of people enrolling their pets in obedience classes and using the groomers. I do not buy extra leashes or novelty items. I admire your enthusiasm and initiative. Good luck.
 
I just completely revamped the shop at the dog club - not as big a venture as what you are looking at, but I did look into what would sell. I drastically reduced the number of stock items and focused on core items that I knew people would look at when they are out at the club. One of the big pulls is we offer a fitting service for head collars and no pull harnesses as well as standard collars. You would be surprised how many newer dog owners like help in fitting collars and selecting leads. We dont sell many brands but try to cover the varieties and price ranges. And fitting head collars makes as a big difference as most people appreciate help even if they are replacing an old one. We sell 5 or 6 different kinds, which is more than most of the local pet shops because its a good niche market.

Another huge seller for us is treats. Before we had a heap of different stuff that didnt sell that well. So I reduced and streamlined the lines to we have 4 types of training treats and take home treats for small, medium and large dogs, fast chewers and all day chewers (basically different size ears, bones and tendons). That way there is just enough lines for everyone to be happy. And we only get treats that are 100% natural and Austn or NZ made which is becoming more important to people after the China treats scares.

New dog owners are a big market, they spend up big to start with and if you can attract them in this early stage they tend to keep returning (puppy owners are best because they keep having to upsize). It always helps if you can target merchandise and assistance for this group.

One thing that has been putting me off pet stores recently is the 'wall' of toys, usually most are similar and targeting similar size dogs. If toys were sorted better according to the size or strength of a dog it would be easier to purchase a toy. I think toys are one of those impulse buy things, but its hard to be impulsive when you are bewildered by a disorganised array.
 
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