FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

Verified — real FDD extraction

SBA-eligible · directory code S6564 since 2021

ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)

Other · independent · est. —

Zoomin Groomin is a mobile pet grooming franchise, and this area representative program grants the right to develop a region by recruiting and supporting unit franchisees. An area rep earns a share of fees and royalties from units in the territory rather than grooming pets directly.

ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) net unit count grew +93.3% from 20232025 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

Too new to judge

Distress

0
STABLE

This system grew to 57 franchised units from a base of 11 — the record looks clean because very few units have been exposed for very long, not because many have survived. Median SBA time-to-default is about 61 months; this system has not lived through that window at scale. Judge the disclosures, not a verdict.

Exit rate · latest year

4.3%

fiscal 2025, per Item 20

Cost to open

$96K–$395K

Item 7 total investment range

SBA loan defaults

Too few resolved

16 loans exist; too few resolved to rate

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

Weak

Systemwide units

2023–2025

+93.3%
302023462024582025

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2025, 2 of 46 franchised outlets left the system — a 4.3% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.

Show the outlet tables
Status (FTC)202320242025
Outlets at start113046
Opened191615
Transfers111
Terminations000
Non-renewals000
Reacquired by franchisor002
Ceased — other reasons002
Outlets at end304658
Net change+19+16+12

The lender's view

SBA 7(a)/504 loan performance · FY1991–present

Banks have made 16 SBA-backed loans to ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) franchisees since 2023. Most are still open, so there is not yet a resolved cohort large enough to rate.

Charge-off rate

2 resolved · too thin to rate

Loss given default

avg. charged-off $ ÷ approved $

Expected loss

default rate × loss severity

Avg. loan · FY2020+

$118,325

what recent franchisees borrowed

Median time to default

approval → charge-off, defaulted loans

Lenders · FY21+ vs FY16–20

distinct banks lending

Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%)

Loan performance by state

SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) BY FRANCHISE NAME · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $88K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $96K–$395K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes no earnings claim (Item 19) — ask current and former franchisees for real numbers.

To open (Item 7)

$96K–$395K

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$88K

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

of sales, ongoing

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

Your figure — this brand discloses no Item 19 earnings; validate with current & former owners.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$0

0% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$0

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 ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) with an independent CPA

Modeled risk

FDD Risk Score · modeled from the public record

Moderate

The public record puts this brand toward the middle of the systems we score — but the evidence is thin, so treat it as a range, not a number.

Risk percentile (range)

27–51 / 100

Directional

Modeled SBA charge-off

11.2%

Observed SBA charge-off

no resolved cohort

Top drivers: System size (log units) (raises) · Item 3 litigation (log) (lowers) · Net unit growth (lowers) · Item 20 exit rate (lowers). Thin loan history — treat this as a range, not a number. A linear scorecard built from this brand's own disclosure figures plus the federal loan record behind its franchisees; full spec and cross-validated accuracy on the methodology page. A score is context, not a verdict.

Distress signals

news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits

No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP). That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.

8 questions to ask a ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) 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 ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) has actually disclosed — each one carries the number it came from, so you can tell whether the answer squares with the record.

  1. 01

    ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)’s own Item 20 shows 2 of 46 franchised outlets left the system in fiscal 2025 — about 4.3%. 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 · FY2025

  2. 02

    1 units transferred to new owners in fiscal 2025. 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 · FY2025

  3. 03

    ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)’s FDD makes no financial performance representation at all — legally, they've told buyers nothing about earnings. What did your first 24 months actually look like, month by month?

    When a franchisor won't publish numbers, existing owners are the only source. Silence in Item 19 is a choice, not a requirement.

    FDD Item 19 · 2026

  4. 04

    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

  5. 05

    Item 3 discloses 12 legal matters. Do you know what those were about, and were any brought by franchisees?

    Franchisee-brought suits over territory, fees or support tell you how the franchisor behaves when there's a disagreement.

    FDD Item 3 · 2026

  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 ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)’s 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 ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)'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 ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)?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.

ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) franchise questions, answered from the filings

What percentage of ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) franchises closed last year?

In ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)'s latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 2 of 46 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 4.3%. 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 ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) franchise cost?

Per ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)'s 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $88K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $96K–$395K (Item 7).

Does ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP) disclose earnings (Item 19)?

No — ZOOMIN GROOMIN (AREA REP)'s 2026 FDD makes no financial performance representation in Item 19. That is legal and common, but it means the franchisor publishes no earnings claim; ask current franchisees for real numbers.