How to Decide on a Location When Opening a Splash and Dash Pet Store

/in /by

Where Should I Open a Pet Store?

Congratulations! You’ve decided to open a pet store and are taking one of the first steps toward your grand opening. One of the first items on the list is finding a good location. Some small businesses are less reliant on where they are based. This is not the case when you open a pet store. Location is vital to the longevity of your business and opening in a bad location can lower your chances of success. This is why Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique shop locations are opened in the most suitable location for a pet store. Shop owners and the corporate team meticulously search areas of interest to find the perfect spot for a Splash and Dash. So, what should future pet store owners look for in a potential location?

Since Splash and Dash shops are a hybrid of salon grooming and retail spaces, there are variables to keep in mind when looking for the perfect location. This article will go into more detail further down, but the absolute necessities are: 1,000 to 1,2000 square feet of space, strong ingress & egress access, adequate parking for frequent visitors, 5-year base term leases with two yeas options, and no percentage rent or radius restrictions. Franchise owners rest easy knowing that as they search they have the support of the corporate team through the whole process.

Strategic Locations Include:

  • Strip-Mall style areas with high visibility & high foot traffic
  • Surrounded on all sides by a combination of businesses e.g. coffee shops, dry cleaners, restaurants
  • Close proximity to a ‘main street’ passed by at least of 15,000 vehicles each day
  • A community with 15,000 households that earn at least $85,000 annual income
  • Within a 10-mile radius of at least 125,000 people

Continue reading this article to learn precise details on finding the best location to open a pet store.

Style of the Business

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique store models are stylish spaces. We operate on the idea that human pet spas are luxurious, why shouldn’t a pet spa be luxurious too? Store models can be described as upscale but accessible with energizing decor. The hand-picked color palette is bright and inviting. Remember, if you open a Splash and Dash, you’re opening a pet store that actually smells good, not like a wet dog! The feng-shui of a Splash and Dash is a combination of alluring decor, stylized merchandising, and amazing people!

Customer Demographics

Before you open a pet store, you need to ask some important questions about the demographic profile of your target market. The first is a question of proximity. Is the location visible from a busy street that hosts 15,000 vehicles each day? Is the surrounding community one that holds at least 15,000 households that earn at least of $85,000 annual income?

Next, you will need to know about pet ownership in the area. Pet ownership is on the rise, with 68% of the U.S. population owning a pet. Yet, some cities don’t have dog parks, have minimal veterinarians per capita, and have a high cost of living that discourages people from owning a pet. Other cities have the polar opposite of this—pet utopias. Do your research and find out what U.S. cities make the best place to open a pet store.

Foot Traffic

Marketing 101 shows us that it is much easier to meet a customer where they already are than convince them to come to you. This can be translated into tactics for sourcing out your brick-and-mortar location. Splash and Dash shops want to be near other small businesses already attracting foot traffic to the area. This is part of the business model. For convenience, a customer can drop their dog off, get some grocery shopping done or a cup of coffee, then come back to pick their dog up. Choose a location that is centralized to major foot traffic areas near non-competing small businesses.

Vehicle Accessibility & Parking

Splash and Dash locations offer a doggie valet service. Meaning we will walk groomed dogs out to their owner’s car while carrying out any products they have purchased. Think about the accessibility for vehicles to pull up to your storefront. Is there a busy parking lot or is the store right off the main street with only two parking spaces?

Competition

Proximity to a competitor is another factor to consider when you open a pet store. Some franchises purposefully open locations right next to the competition. This is not a tactic Splash and Dash uses but you will want to be aware of the various industries located nearby. Restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores are great! But, if a competitor is close to your shop, this will make marketing your storefront more difficult. You should look elsewhere.

Permits and Ordinance

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique stores will not need a kennel license like a doggie daycare facility would. Overhead is also lower because shops can operate in a typical retail space—1,2000 square feet. Splash and Dash shops also need cheaper insurance packages than a doggie daycare operation.

Depending upon the legislation in your state and county, permits are handled differently. Many times it is much easier to open a pet store that also has pet spa services, than big-box operations or doggie daycare facilities. Either way, you will want to look into your local ordinance to discern what kind of permits you will need.

Infrastructure, Utilities, & Wiring

Since Splash and Dash locations offer pet spa services. This means you will need to find a building with adequate plumbing and drainage to be able to service a high volume of clients each day. The corporate team assists franchisees with the buildout—blueprint schematics and directing labor. Again, a good location size is anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 square feet. Within this range, there is no extra space which translates to lower overhead. Also, look into the communications wiring, Is the space connected to a fiber optic network or is it wired for DSL or a T1 line? Having access to a high-speed internet service provider is important in this digital age.

Leasing & Rent Affordability

Corporate mandates franchisees find a landlord offering a 5-year base term leaves with two 5-year options. Percentage rent or radius restrictions are a non-negotiable no. As you search, you will be compiling a list of pros and cons for each potential location. Corporate helps with balancing these lists out to ensure that you open a pet store is the best storefront imaginable.

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique puts a huge emphasis on our individual shops’ success. We view each franchisee as a member of our familial team and work hard alongside each shop to safeguard financial success and expansion!

 

Follow Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique: