Why did you buy your Petpals business? Our franchisees reveal all!

17th May 2017

Did you know that Petpals is the UK’s largest full-service, bfa member, pet care franchise? We recently surveyed our 50+ franchisees to define what led them to purchase their pet care franchise.

‘Love of animals’

Unsurprisingly one of the main reasons given was a love of animals, with some stating that working with animals had been a ‘life-long dream’.

‘I know Petpals!’

When asked ‘how did you first hear about Petpals’, it transpired that the vast majority of our franchisees had pre-existing links to the business ie they were, or had been a Petpals customer, they were a friend of, or knew the franchisee, or they met a franchisee whilst out walking their own dog.

Reasons to buy a franchise

Unhappiness in previous jobs, a desire to regain control of their lives, to spend more time with their families and to adopt a healthier, more active lifestyle, were also key reasons given for buying their Petpals franchise.

Amusingly, one franchisee sited ‘jealousy’ as the reason for buying his franchise; his wife was already running a successful Petpals business and he wanted to leave his stressful corporate life, as head of risk management for a national electronics retailer, to join his wife in the pet care industry. He bought the adjoining territory and they now have one of the largest and most successful businesses in the network.

Nationally recognised brand

When choosing Petpals over other franchise opportunities, many said they wanted to buy into a large, nationally recognised brand with an experienced franchisor and head office staff. We were founded in 1999 and have over fifty trading franchisees.

‘No doubts’ about business

When asked if they had any initial doubts about buying their franchise the vast majority of franchisees said no, they were confident they could make the business work and those that did have worries said their fears proved to be groundless.

The vast majority of franchisees said that although they knew what a franchise business was, they were not actively looking for one when they bought their Petpals business.

Previous careers

Franchisees were asked about their previous careers before joining Petpals and answers ranged from banker, to interior designer, from child minder to police officer and from RAF electrician to dental nurse. Only two franchisees had previously worked with animals.

Our managing director Kevin Thackrah said,

‘We are delighted with the results of this survey which has underlined the vital importance of our franchisees who, whilst driving their Petpals branded vehicles, walking customer’s dogs and wearing their Petpals uniform, are a walking ambassador for the brand, recommending the business opportunity to people they meet. I see this as a great testimonial for the strength of the Petpals brand and the support they receive from our head office team.’’

He continued,

As the largest multi-service, full bfa member, pet care franchise in the UK, we are proud that these talented individuals have chosen to join us and bring with them a multitude of skills from their previous careers, which they are always happy to share with the rest of the network. The diversity of their backgrounds is one of the beauties of the franchise system and, armed with the results from this survey, we look forward to welcoming many more hard working, intelligent, resourceful people to our network very soon.’

ENDS                                                                                                                                                             MAY 2017

Petpals has over 50 operations covering most of the United Kingdom. If you would like to know more about buying your own Petpals franchise. please click here for more information about how to make your dream of working with animals, come true. 

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