Pet Wash Profit Stress and Mess-Free Bath Time
According to Statista.com,
there were 8.1 million pet
cats and 7.7 million pet dogs
in 2020. While cats tend to
groom themselves naturally,
dogs typically benefit from a
monthly wash.
By Meline Beach
Pets are an integral part of Canadian
households. According to Statista.com,
there were 8.1 million pet cats and 7.7
million pet dogs in 2020. While cats tend
to groom themselves naturally, dogs
typically benefit from a monthly wash.
With numbers like that, many of your
customers are likely to be pet owners. As
a convenience store or carwash owner
and operator, do you anticipate the
needs of your customers as pet owners?
Do you sell kibble, collars, leashes, and
grooming products? Do you offer an onsite pet washing station?
Perry Flann of Campbellton, New
Brunswick, is an accountant turned
business owner with several companies
in his portfolio, including convenience
stores, Subway restaurants, gas stations,
and carwashes – one of which includes
a pet washing station called Puddles
Pet Wash. He picked up a self-contained
pet washing unit from a friend a few
years ago and recently finished installing it in a built-in structure on the side
of his carwash in the rural community
of Northumberland County. The 15’x18’
structure shares a wall with the carwash
and features a concrete pad, plumbing,
three windows, ventilation, in-floor heating, and a door. Pet washing is not a seasonal activity and an indoor unit enables
the station to operate throughout the
year, regardless of weather and seasonal
temperatures.
In operation since June 2021, Flann
says the value-added service is profitable,
“though not in the millions, it has a 75
per cent profit margin.”
The pet wash station shares the same
drainage as the carwash and requires
a weekly disinfectant. Besides paper
K9000 and iClean DogWash are
two internationally-recognized
manufacturers of pet washing
stations that are gaining market
share in Canada. Both have
similar and unique features that
cater to customers’ needs when
it comes to keeping their pets
clean in a safe, fast, convenient,
and cost-effective way.
towels, sanitizers, shampoo, conditioner
and rinse aids, Flann says his pet wash
is clean and low maintenance. In terms
of marketing, he distributes flyers to local veterinarian clinics and does radio
advertising, Facebook posts, and has a
spinning sign at the end of the road.
Flann’s unit is not as sophisticated as
other units in the market. His pet wash
station is coin based and uses a manual
dial to select the stage–shampoo, conditioner, flea and tick rinse, and dryer. The
cost is strictly dependent on timing and
how quickly you go through the stages.
“You pick and choose the service based
on the dial setting,” says Flann. “Five dollars gets you five minutes and it’s up to
you if you want to spend that entire five
minutes on shampoo. For most customers, it takes 10 minutes and $10 to get a
great wash. Considering most groomers
charge between $50 to $100, and have
limited availability, our self-serve pet
wash is a bargain.”
K9000 and iClean Dog Wash are two
internationally-recognized manufacturers of pet washing stations that are gaining market share in Canada. Both have
similar and unique features that cater to
customers’ needs when it comes to keeping their pets clean in a safe, fast, convenient, and cost-effective way.
Furever Clean Dog Wash
Built in Australia, the K9000 unit made
its Canadian debut in 2017, with over
66 machines installed at a variety
of convenience stores, gas stations,
carwashes, laundromats, shopping
malls, multi-residential condominiums,
and pet businesses coast to coast. There
are also thousands of K9000 machines
sold internationally. According to Evelyn
Rutherford, director of Furever Clean
Dog Wash and Canadian distributor of
the K9000, the pet wash is a valuable and
complementary self-serve, standalone
business that requires very little effort.
“No staff are required on-site and
customers simply make a payment at
the machine and help themselves,” says
Rutherford. “The door of the dog wash
area can be fitted with an automatic lock
so it opens and closes on a timer. As the
dog wash machine has a three-part filtration system and a free disinfect cycle,
the tub doesn’t require manual cleaning
after every pet wash.”
There are four K9000 models to choose
from, each featuring a stainless-steel
basin, built-in hypoallergenic shampoo
products and disinfectant, three-part filtration system, programmable functions,
payment devices, and dryers. Additional
accessories include non-slip mats, pet
towel/leash holders, and aprons – to
name a few.
Payment is available in many forms,
including coins, cards, and tokens, as
well as configured to offer free washes
or combination payments, such as MEI
Bank note and Nayax Card options. The
Nayax readers accept credit/debit/apple
pay and the Monyx Wallet app, viewable
online using the Nayax online system.
Pre-paid loyalty cards are also available
and allow business owners to sell as gift
cards or bulk dog washes.
In terms of ownership, K9000 units
are sold, not franchised, however,
Furever Clean Dog Wash offers the option to purchase in full or lease to own,
over five years with low monthly payments. Delivery from Vancouver, British
Columbia, where the company is based,
and installation costs are at the owner’s
expense. Furever Clean Dog Wash provides phone support seven days a week
and one-on-one commissioning services
to ensure proper installation and functionality as well as training on how to
clean and maintain the machine.
To accommodate year-round use,
Furever Clean Dog Wash also offers an
insulated dog wash building in both single and twin sizes – ideal for carwash/
convenience/gas stations that do not
have space in their current business and
are looking for a self-contained option to
place on the property.
“We often consult with business owners and advise on the best location for
their pet washing unit as well as with
electricians and plumbers on the best
way to install it,” says Rutherford. “Many
of our business owners start with one
machine and after a year or so purchase
another.”
In terms of additional revenue
streams, Rutherford suggests renting
out an area of the pet wash room once
or twice a week to a groomer who can
provide additional services such as nail
clipping to enhance the dog washing
service, as well as provide Furever Clean’s
pet-themed vending machines with prepaid dog wash cards and dog treats.
iClean Dog Wash
With offices in Europe and the United
States, iClean Dog Wash is growing
steadily in Canada at a 60 per cent
growth rate. Their customer base has
expanded from pet stores, veterinary
clinics, and laundromats to carwashes,
gas stations, and convenience stores.
iClean dog wash units are available in
14 models, each made from aircraft-grade
stainless steel. Suitable for indoor and
outdoor environments, each unit has a
built-in water heater, triple filtration hair
trap and features seven settings: shampoo, rinse water, conditioner, flea wash,
low/high blow-dry low, and disinfectant.
Each purchase of a unit comes with a
five-litre container of biodegradable, low
suds, tearless shampoo safe for all dogs,
cats, and sewer systems, as well as crème
rinse, flea and tick wash, and disinfectant,
which lasts approximately three months
(and over 100 pet washes). At the end of
each use, a free 30-second spray of disinfectant eliminates any concerns of potential cross-contamination. To install, all
you need is a cold-water line, a 110-volt
outlet, and a floor or wall drain.
The Futura and new Cyber Wash are
the most popular models in Canada.
“Each customer has a choice of model
that suits their business best,” says Phillip
Cooper, chief executive officer for iClean
Dog Wash, North and South America.
“Some retailers want all the bells and
whistles, like the Futura Touch Pad Plus,
which offers 30 different languages and 40
celebrity voices that well each step of the
wash, while others choose solely on price.”
Given the cost of a pet wash, return
on investment is always important.
Consider location and competition before committing – are you located within a neighbourhood that attracts foot
traffic or is your customer base mostly
commuters and commercial drivers?
Are there neighbouring pet washes in
the area that would detract from your
business?
“Many of our customers pay off a unit
in approximately one and a half years
and have an equal amount of revenue,”
says Cooper, who maintains that iClean
units are trouble-free and last up to 30
years. “The average customer with an average location sees approximately eight
to 10 washes a day. This, of course, is
based on location and promotion.”
The most successful locations are in
high-traffic areas and use social media
to help drive traffic. A simple, inexpensive Facebook ad, targeted by area, can
increase your customer count, not only
for the pet wash but for your primary
business as well as many retailers benefit
from additional sales per visit.
A pet wash station is a stress and
mess-free way to generate additional
revenue.
Meline Beach is a Toronto-based
communications practitioner and
frequent contributor to Convenience
& Carwash Canada. In addition to
freelance writing, Meline provides
communications and public relations
support to businesses across Canada. She
can be reached at www.mlbcomms.ca.
approximately one and a half years and have
an equal amount of revenue,” says Cooper, who
maintains that iClean units are trouble-free and
last up to 30 years.
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