Market Focus: Florida

Florida

Florida is well-known for its rapid population growth and economic expansion. The state is also the fourth-largest state in the US and is branded as a center point for several major industries including tourism, hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and transportation to name a few. As a leader within several industries, the marketplace has made a mark and created a powerful presence within in the pet industry. According to pet retailers of all types and sizes, Florida is full of opportunities, making it an excellent location for pet retailers to operate and flourish as a company.

“We love this area because it really caters to pet lovers in general,” said Emily Soft with Animal House Naturals in Tampa. “The neighborhood we are located in has a small-town welcoming feel, so the customers are like good friends. There are so many pet-friendly restaurants and parks all over the place. Also, the town is constantly growing and bringing in new people.”

“Miami has proven to be a great place to open our business as we’ve had significant growth throughout the year while spending nothing on advertising, relying solely on word of mouth,” said Michael O’Rourke with Wynwood Dog Food. “Miami is an extremely dog friendly and pet loving community. Our city is also booming with a ton of residential development and an amazing arts & entertainment culture with its heart in Wynwood. Our pet food is driven by clinical nutrition and quality ingredients, which aligns perfectly with a health-conscious consumer.”

Major Players Pet Supermarket (140 locations)

With more than 200 locations in seven different states, Pet Supermarket is one largest leading retailers in the Florida marketplace. There are 23 stores in Miami, 16 stores in Orlando and 15 in Tampa. The company has several services at each location in an effort to provide more convenience to pet parents. Services include dog washing stations, pet grooming, adoption, VIP Pet Care and training.

Pet Supermarket previously operated under the now defunct Pet Retail Brands alongside Pet Valu, but as of June 30, 2021 Pet Valu and Pet Supermarket have fully and legally separated. According to Pet Valu CEO Richard Maltsbarger, “The Pet Supermarket business is now fully independent. We placed a new leadership team in summer of 2020, and so we really had been operating completely separate since late summer of last year, and now have fully separated as of June 30.” The company is now led by CEO Allen McClard.

Outside of providing premium pet supplies and food options, Pet Supermarket initiated its own education grant program through a partnership with Pets in the Classroom. The program provides financial support to teachers to purchase and maintain small animals for pre-kindergarten through ninth grade classes. According to the company, the program was launched in an effort to help give teachers easier access to getting pets in the classroom mainly because they are a great resource for students to learn responsibility while improving mental health and education. Pet Supermarket is dedicated to providing for the communities it serves long-term.

Woof Gang Bakery (58 locations)

Woof Gang Bakery has approximately 150 locations open or under development. Currently, there are seven locations in Miami, six in Tampa and 20 in Orlando.

“Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming franchise owners are local residents and trusted members of their communities,” said Paul Allen, Founder and CEO. “They personally know their clients and serve their neighbors and friends with caring personal touch. An essential part of our business model is being ‘Your Neighborhood Pet Store’ and customers value

that important local connection.” “We provide our franchise owners with a proven model for success, support and infrastructure,” Allen said. “Simply put, we want our franchises to be successful and we work hard every day to give them the tools to achieve “Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming franchise owners are local success. We are there evresidents and trusted members of their communities. They ery step of the way—from personally know their clients and serve their neighbors and start up support training, friends with caring personal touch. An essential part of our vendor sourcing and marbusiness model is being ‘Your Neighborhood Pet Store’ and keting, to ongoing francustomers value that important local connection.” chise resource, incentives — Paul Allen, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming for franchisees and their teams, mentorship and assistance from the corporate office.” During the past year, the company has had a strong focus on continuing its growth as an independent pet retailer. “Our goal is to continue to grow within the brick-and-mortar specialty pet space sector. With the continued growth of Woof Gang Grooming and the introduction of Woof Gang Wellness, along with a foundation of retail, we will provide the goods and services offered by big box and online, but better and with a local approach, in the communities we serve,” Allen said.

Pet Supplies Plus (34 locations)

Pet Supplies Plus was founded in 1988 and has steadily grown over the past 30 years. By 1995 the company had opened its 100th location. Nearly 10 years later the company had added another 100 locations to its footprint and in 2017, the retailer had reached 400 franchise locations. Today, Pet Supplies Plus has more than 500 franchises with three locations in Miami, four in Orlando and 10 in Tampa. In a previous interview with Pet Insight, Chris Rowland outlined how the company supports both corporate and franchised locations. “We provide a turnkey experience ‘minus the hassle,’” Rowland said. “Everything from product assortment, distribution, retail pricing, POS, marketing, training and operational support is all provided. This allows our franchisees to spend their time on the floor and dealing directly with our neighbors in the aisles.” r Cont'd on Pg. 10

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Rowland further highlighted how the company’s franchise system creates opportunities for owners to be successful.

“Our +$1 billion buying power ensures the best costs, so they can pass on the best prices to our neighbors,” he said. “Our unprecedented 3 percent royalty fee covers all back-office support to allow our franchisees to spend the bulk of their time with the neighbors in their stores. This support includes our sophisticated CRM program, e-commerce, IT support and everything behind the scenes to operate a retail business.”

Petland (14 locations)

Petland was founded in 1967 and has four locations in Miami. Petland is a privately owned franchise based in Ohio. The company has a focus on helping families adopt pets and providing high-quality pet supplies and products.

In an interview with Pet Insight in 2018, CEO Joe Watson outlined the company’s growing footprint and how they have achieved the ideal pet store.

“We have taken our key fixture development and manufacturing in-house and we have expanded our private label offerings to help us more quickly to keep pace with the market,” said Watson. “Due to the fact a lot of pet retailers have got away from offering live animals, we’ve seen degradation in the development and the R&D of fixturing for live animals. In order for us to deliver a Petland experience, we’ve realized to continue our pace of growth, we needed to bring that development in-house. We develop our own fish units, our own kennel units, in-store fixtures and all of our small animal and bird fixtures. To be successful in brick-and-mortar retail, you have to have differentiation from big box and e-commerce which is why we have aggressively built our distribution center business. The two of those things have really enabled us to move quickly, go to market quicker with some products and deliver higher margins and a product differentiation.”

Miami Natural K9

There are three Natural K9 locations in the Miami marketplace. The retailer is dedicated to providing consumers with low prices and high-quality pet products. The company carries premium quality, holistic, organic and all-natural pet food solutions. According to Natural K9, these food options are used to treat individual needs, and Miami’s organic dog food in particular comes from ingredients grown exclusively on farms set up specifically for this purpose. These specific food solutions are only available in the Miami market and the retailer guarantees they are free from chemicals or additives. Natural K9 offers consumers home delivery and curbside pickup in an effort to provide more convenience. The retailer also focuses on staying up-to-date with industry trends in order to provide accurate advice to pet parents daily.

Miami’s Pet Grooming

With two locations in Miami, this grooming business began when Lester Sanchez started grooming dogs when he was 16 years old at his uncle’s store. Sanchez realized he wanted to open his own grooming store, so in 1998, he opened his first store at the Country Walk and shortly after, the second location on Bird Road. The company steadily expanded its business to include mobile services, which range from Florida City to Boca Raton. According to the company, the mobile grooming services are conducted in state of the art and newly designed sprinter vans, which are built for ‘maximum efficiency and comfort’ to tailor to animals of all types and sizes.

Orlando Magic Pet

There are two Magic Pet locations in the Orlando marketplace. The retailer is a pet food and supply company that provides pet parents with quality sup-

plies, daycare and grooming services. Magic Pet carries high-quality brands of pet foods such as grain-free kibble, all-natural treats and several different options of premium food solutions like wet, raw and dehydrated.

Tampa Munchies Natural Pet “Miami is an extremely dog friendly and pet loving Foods

community. Our city is also booming with a ton of residential Munchies Natural Pet development and an amazing arts & entertainment culture with Foods is family owned its heart in Wynwood. Our pet food is driven by clinical nutrition and operated since 2000. and quality ingredients, which aligns perfectly with a The company provides health-conscious consumer.” natural pet food and — Michael O’Rourke, Wynwood Dog Food treats. Every day the company’s employees assist pet parents in making informed decisions for their animals’ health and well-being. Munchies has subsequently grown to accommodate the needs of its growing customer base. In 2012, the company opened another location in Wesley Chapel and currently has three stores in Tampa. Each location offers healthy natural pet food and treats, toys, harnesses, leashes, collars, grooming tools and various supplies and accessories.

Royal Pets Market & Resort

Royal Pets Market & Resort is a onestop shop for pet parents. The company provides boarding, grooming and veterinary services along with pet food and supplies. There are three locations in Tampa and each location provides all services to ensure pet parents have the convenience of obtaining everything they could need in one shopping trip or outing. The retailer has a full-service veterinary clinic that offers full wellness exams, vaccinations, microchipping and heartworm testing. The company also offers a wellness plan that helps pet owners save on vet bills.

Dog Gone Holistic

Dog Gone Holistic has been locally owned and operated for more than 12 years. The retailer has two locations in Tampa and has more than 4,000 products. The company provides consumers with a wide selection of natural food and pet products for dogs and cats. Dog Gone Holistic also provides a variety of services such as nutritional counseling, dental cleaning, adoptions and curbside pickup.