FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

Verified — real FDD extraction

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Pet Suplies Plus

Pet Services · independent · est. —

Pet Supplies Plus is a pet-store chain selling food, treats, toys, and supplies for dogs, cats, and other pets, with services like grooming and self-serve dog wash at many stores. It positions itself as a convenient neighborhood pet store. A franchisee operates a retail pet store managing inventory, services, and staff.

Pet Suplies Plus net unit count grew +27.4% from 20202022 per its FDD Item 20.

New to franchising? Start here

A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.

Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:

  • Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
  • Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
  • Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).

The verdict

Proven & strong

Distress

0
STABLE

Enough units and history to judge, and the record is good: growing or stable units with clean exits by the standards of its disclosed record. The standout in the record: owner turnover is low.

Exit rate · latest year

1.1%

vs 4.7% across 18 pet services systems

Cost to open

$493K–$1.8M

Item 7 total investment range

SBA loan defaults

No loan record

no SBA 7(a)/504 loans found for this brand

Behind the verdict

the record, factor by factor · Item 20

hi-1.0.0
Net unit growth35%

3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1

Strong
Exit quality25%

terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3

Strong
Transfer / churn15%

transfers vs. base · Table 3

Strong
Promise-keeping10%

actual vs. projected openings · Table 5

Strong
Transparency15%

Item 19 disclosure + completeness

Strong

Systemwide units

2020–2022

+27.4%
519202060320216612022

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2022, 4 of 374 franchised outlets left the system — a 1.1% annualized exit rate, vs 4.7% across 18 pet services systems. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.

Show the outlet tables
Status (FTC)202020212022
Outlets at start479519602
Opened417661
Transfers2512
Terminations010
Non-renewals000
Reacquired by franchisor012
Ceased — other reasons024
Outlets at end519603661
Net change+40+84+59

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $50K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $493K–$1.8M (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.

To open (Item 7)

$493K–$1.8M

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$50K

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

3%

of sales, ongoing

If a unit does this in annual sales…$1M/yr

Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$30K

3% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$300K

royalties alone, excl. ad fund

This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.

Build a real pro-forma for Pet Suplies Plus with an independent CPA

Distress signals

news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits

No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for Pet Suplies Plus. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.

8 questions to ask a Pet Suplies Plus franchisee

Built from this brand's own disclosures · take it to your validation calls

The franchisor will give you a list of owners to call. Most buyers ask whether they like it. These are the questions built from what Pet Suplies Plus has actually disclosed — each one carries the number it came from, so you can tell whether the answer squares with the record.

  1. 01

    Pet Suplies Plus’ own Item 20 shows 4 of 374 franchised outlets left the system in fiscal 2022 — about 1.1%. Do you know any of those owners, and do you know why they left?

    A franchisor will call these “transitions.” An owner three doors down usually knows whether they sold at a profit or handed the keys back.

    FDD Item 20 · FY2022

  2. 02

    12 units transferred to new owners in fiscal 2022. When you look at those, were they people cashing out a good business — or getting out of a bad one?

    Transfers count as neutral in every ranking. They are the single easiest place to hide distress.

    FDD Item 20 · FY2022

  3. 03

    You pay 3.0% royalty on gross sales, plus the ad fund, before any of your own costs. On your actual revenue last year, what did you take home as the owner — not revenue, take-home?

    Royalty is charged on sales, not profit. This is the number the brochure never shows and the one your life actually runs on.

    FDD Item 6

  4. 04

    Pet Suplies Plus makes an earnings claim in Item 19. Does your unit look like that number — and do you know which units they included to build it?

    Item 19 is legal to build from a flattering subset. Ask whether they excluded new units, closed units, or company stores.

    FDD Item 19 · 2023

  5. 05

    How many months did it take to cover your own costs, and how much cash did you burn getting there?

    Ramp-to-breakeven working capital is the most underestimated line in any franchise purchase, and the most common reason otherwise-good units fail.

    Not disclosed in any FDD — ask an owner

  6. 06

    What does the franchisor charge for that you didn't expect — required tech fees, mandatory remodels, approved-supplier pricing?

    Required spending appears across Items 6, 8 and 11 rather than in one place, so buyers routinely miss the total.

    FDD Items 6, 8, 11

  7. 07

    If your agreement came up for renewal tomorrow at current terms, would you sign again?

    The single most predictive question you can ask. A hesitation is the answer.

    Ask every owner you speak to

  8. 08

    Who else should I call — including someone who left?

    The franchisor's list is curated by definition. Former franchisees are where the unflattering truth lives, and current owners usually know how to reach them.

    Ask every owner you speak to

Want this as a checklist you can take to the calls?

I'll email you the printable version, and tell you if Pet Suplies Plus’ numbers move — a new filing, a rising exit rate, a distress signal. Unsubscribe in one click.

Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Pet Suplies Plus's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

Book a free 30-minute call →
Own or owned a Pet Suplies Plus?no appointment · read by a person

This page is what buyers see before they call you for validation. If the record above is wrong — or right in a way the numbers can't show — say so. Corrections are checked against the filings; nothing you write is published with your name unless you agree to it.

Pet Suplies Plus franchise questions, answered from the filings

What percentage of Pet Suplies Plus franchises closed last year?

In Pet Suplies Plus's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2022), 4 of 374 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 1.1% — compared with 4.7% across 18 pet services systems tracked here. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.

How much does a Pet Suplies Plus franchise cost?

Per Pet Suplies Plus's 2023 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $50K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $493K–$1.8M (Item 7).

What royalty does Pet Suplies Plus charge?

Pet Suplies Plus charges an ongoing royalty of 3.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2023 FDD.

Does Pet Suplies Plus disclose earnings (Item 19)?

Yes — Pet Suplies Plus makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2023 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.