Wag N Wash franchise unit economics
Wag N Wash owners run a pet store of 2,500 to 5,000 square feet. It sells self-service dog washing, grooming, pet bakery goods and food. The territory holds about 60,000 people. Across 11 stores, 2025 sales averaged $1,208,177, which is $23,234 a week. After the cost of stock, 66.6% was left. Rent and labor take 51.1 points of that, leaving 15.6 before the brand and 8.1 after it.
- Primary source
- WNW Franchise Operations SPV, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 11 of 14 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
A store sells $23,234 a week and keeps 66.6 cents of every dollar after the cost of its stock. Rent then takes 10.1 points and wages take 41.0. That leaves 15.6 before the brand's share and 8.1 after it. Utilities, insurance and the owner's own pay still come out of that.
- Labor alone takes 41.0% of sales. $495,060 against $804,796 of gross profit *, so 61 cents of every margin dollar is a wage before anything else is paid.
- The five weaker stores run a better profit share than the six stronger ones. 68.4% against 65.8%, and still earn $472,995 less of margin, because rate is a ratio and dollars are what pay the rent.
- The system-average rent is 7.9% of a top store’s sales and 15.2% of a weaker one’s. $121,769 against $1,549,098 and $799,072 *. The clearest reason volume matters more than rate here.
- Royalty climbs from 2% to 4% across the first two years. $24,164 in year one rising to $48,327 by year three at average sales *, so the brand cost doubles while the store is still finding its feet.
- Eight of 23 franchised stores were reacquired during 2025. Taking franchised stores from 23 to 14 while affiliate-owned went from 6 to 12, the single largest ownership shift in this library.
How much does a Wag N Wash franchise make?
The average Wag N Wash unit reported $1,208,177 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,058,521. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 7.5% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling stores are below.
Top performers
What separates the top Wag N Wash performers
Wag N Wash splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $1,549,098 a year. The worst averaged $799,072. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,058,521. The average was $1,208,177. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 1.9× gap between bands is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Capacity, fixed at build.Locations run 2,500 to 5,000 square feet. What you can sell is set by the build, and the build does not change after opening.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $520,250 to $1,357,300, a 2.6× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
- Lease economics.Occupancy cost ran 10.1% of sales in this filing. The rent does not fall when sales do, so the same lease is a far heavier line at the bottom of the system than at the top. That is how a weak site compounds into a weak profit line.
Live operating levers
- Cost of what you sell.Products and materials take 33.4% of sales. Buying terms, price discipline and waste are where this is won, and each of them compounds at volume.
- Occupancy, the line that does not flex.Rent and building costs take 10.1% of sales here. Sales per square foot and the hours the space is earning are the only two ways to move it, because the rent itself is fixed at signing.
- Pets served, the operating driver.This model bills on pets served. The owner counts how many pets come through in a day and how many come back within the month. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Membership and rebooking.A recurring plan turns a high-fixed-cost business from an appointment book into a subscription, which smooths the utilisation that drives the wage line. Rebooking before the customer leaves is what builds it, not marketing spend afterwards.
- Service and retail mix.Attachment rate on retail, and the share of customers on the higher service tiers, lift what each hour earns without adding an hour or a room. It is the only lever that raises the ceiling without spending capital.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 7.5% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
- The first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up, so the ramp can be underwritten from the document rather than assumed. Read two things out of it: the month sales cross the point where costs are covered, and how much cash you fund before that month arrives. Everything before break-even is paid for by you.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.11 of 14 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, as are locations under the brand’s current size standard, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
Where the dollar goes
Sixty-six cents left after stock, and fifty-one of them already committed.
| Line | Amount | Share of sales |
|---|---|---|
| Annual sales | $1,208,177 | 100% |
| Cost of goods | $403,381 | 33.4% |
| gross profit | $804,796 | 66.6% |
| Labor | $495,060 | 41.0% |
| Rent | $121,769 | 10.1% |
| Left before the brand | $187,967 | 15.6% |
| Royalty at 4% | $48,327 | 4.0% |
| Advertising at 3.5% | $42,286 | 3.5% |
| Left after the brand | $97,354 | 8.1% |
The brand reported sales, gross margin, rent and wages. We worked out the cost of stock, the brand's charges and the last two lines from those.
Utilities, insurance, supplies, interest and owner pay all come out of the last $97,354. 8.1% of sales *. Three lines decide it: stock, rent and wages.
Wages take 61.5% of gross margin. $495,060 of $804,796 *, and a single point of labor saved is worth $12,082 a year, roughly an eighth of what is left after the brand.
The middle store keeps 81.4% of what the average store keeps after stock. $654,998 against $804,796. On sales the middle store runs at 87.6% of the average, so the gap is wider on gross margin.
Rent runs $121,769 on average and $119,664 at the median. Within $2,105 of each other.
The two groups recombine exactly to the filed averages. Six stores at $1,549,098 and five at $799,072 give $1,208,177 *, and the same weighting returns $804,796 of margin, so the table is internally sound.
The week as the unit
Twenty-three thousand a week, and a three-fold range.
| Measure | Top six | Bottom five | All 11 average | Median | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly sales | $29,790 | $15,367 | $23,234 | $20,356 | $14,326 | $45,330 |
| Annual sales | $1,549,098 | $799,072 | $1,208,177 | $1,058,521 | $744,965 | $2,357,183 |
| gross profit | $1,019,794 | $546,799 | $804,796 | $654,998 | $501,482 | $1,637,742 |
| gross profit rate | 65.8% | 68.4% | 66.6% | 68.1% | n/a | n/a |
Every figure is as the brand reported it for the 11 stores that traded the whole of 2025 under the same owner.
The highest-selling stores bills 3.16 times the lowest-selling stores. $45,330 a week against $14,326 *, and the top six average nearly double the bottom five at $29,790 against $15,367.
Five of 11 stores clear the average weekly sales. 45.5%. Only 4 of the 11 stores are above the average.
The share left after stock is higher at the lower-selling stores. 65.8% at the top six stores and 68.4% at the bottom five. The middle store is at 68.1% and the average is 66.6% *. Larger stores sell more food and less grooming.
One more thousand dollars a week is worth $52,000 of sales and $34,632 of margin. At the system rate *, which against $97,354 left after the brand is a third of the year’s remainder.
At 2,500 to 5,000 square feet, sales run $242 to $483 a foot. *, useful when weighing a larger box, since rent scales with the space and the grooming capacity may stay put.
Fees and what it costs to open
Two percent, then three, then four.
| Charge | Year one | Year two | Year three onward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty rate | 2% | 3% | 4% |
| Royalty | $24,164 | $36,245 | $48,327 |
| Advertising | $52,200 fixed | $42,286 | $42,286 |
| Total to the brand | $76,364 | $78,531 | $90,613 |
| Share of sales | 6.3% | 6.5% | 7.5% |
The rates and fixed amounts are as the brand reported it and the dollar figures apply them to the filed average annual sales, marked *.
Advertising in year one is a flat $4,350 a month. $3,350 of local spending and $1,000 to the national fund, which is $52,200 a year *. A store past its first year pays 3.5%. This falls in the year sales are lowest.
The $8,333 monthly advertising cap starts helping above $2,857,143 of sales. *, higher than the highest-selling stores in this system at $2,357,183, so every store currently pays the full 3.5%.
Inventory of $100,000 to $150,000 must be held, and 75% to 90% bought from an affiliate. $75,000 to $135,000, a purchase obligation that sits alongside the royalty.
A store costs $520,250 to $1,357,300 to open. 0.43 to 1.12 times a year of average sales *, with building work spanning $25,000 to $587,400 and equipment $187,200 to $265,000.
Converting a pet store you already own waives the fee entirely. And may waive the royalty for a period, alongside 20% off for veterans, 10% for first responders and $35,000 for a second store.
Territory and the system
Sixty thousand people, and a system the brand is taking back.
| Year | Franchised start | Franchised end | Affiliate-owned start | Affiliate-owned end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | 18 | 23 | 6 | 6 |
| 2025 | 23 | 14 | 6 | 12 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it, with eight franchised stores reacquired and one ceasing operations during 2025.
Franchised stores fell from 23 to 14 while affiliate-owned doubled from 6 to 12. Eight reacquisitions in one year, so the brand now operates 12 of its 26 stores, against zero three years ago.
A territory holds roughly 60,000 people, or 30,000 in thinner markets. So the average store bills $20.14 a head at the larger size and $40.27 at the smaller *.
An exclusive territory is expressly excluded. Every other Wag N Wash store stays outside the territory. A company connected to the brand franchises Pet Supplies Plus stores, and the brand can still use other names and sales channels inside it.
An e-commerce program operates within a radius of each store. It covers in-store pickup, curbside and delivery, including a subscription service. The brand may require a store to take part. Online orders shift sales toward food, which has a different margin from the 66.6% average.
There is no sales target to keep the territory. Which is unusual, and puts the whole performance question on the economics.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks.
What does a Wag N Wash store bill?
Across 11 reporting stores in 2025, weekly sales averaged $23,234 with a median of $20,356, giving annual sales of $1,208,177 and a median of $1,058,521. The highest-selling stores billed $45,330 a week and the lowest-selling $14,326. The top six averaged $29,790 a week and the bottom five $15,367.
What margin does it run?
66.6% on average and 68.1% at the middle store, which is $804,796 at the average store. Notably the bottom five stores run a higher rate at 68.4% than the top six at 65.8%, consistent with larger stores selling proportionally more food and less grooming.
What is left after costs?
Labor takes 41.0% of sales and rent 10.1%, leaving 15.6% before the brand. After a 4% royalty and 3.5% advertising, on our reading that is 8.1% of sales ($97,354) before utilities, insurance, supplies, interest and any owner draw.
What does the brand take?
Royalty runs 2% of gross sales in the first 12 months, 3% in months 13 to 24 and 4% thereafter. Advertising is a fixed $4,350 a month in year one, then the lesser of 3.5% of sales or $8,333 a month, capped at $100,000 a year. The cap only helps above $2,857,143 of sales, which sits above the highest-selling stores in this system at $2,357,183.
What does a store cost to open?
$520,250 to $1,357,300 for 2,500 to 5,000 square feet. Equipment runs $187,200 to $265,000. Building work runs $25,000 to $587,400. Opening stock is $100,000 to $150,000, and six months of spare cash is $100,000 to $200,000. A $15,000 set-up fee and $20,000 of grand opening advertising are also due before opening.
What does the inventory obligation mean?
You must hold $100,000 to $150,000 of inventory and buy 75% to 90% of it ($75,000 to $135,000) from an affiliated distributor. That is charged on top of the royalty, and it comes out of the 66.6% left after stock.
What territory do you get?
An area of about 60,000 people, or nearer 30,000 where fewer people live. It is a radius around the store, and the brand decides the size. The protection is that every other Wag N Wash store stays outside it. An affiliate franchises Pet Supplies Plus stores, and other marks and channels stay open there.
Which two numbers should run monthly?
Weekly sales against $23,234, because rent and much of labor hold steady whatever you bill. Wages take 41.0% of sales and 61.5% of gross margin. One point of it is worth $12,082 a year.
- No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
Questions worth putting to Wag N Wash
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Wag N Wash locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →What is your week actually holding?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around $23,234 a week, labor at 61.5% of gross profit. The 8.1% of sales left after rent, wages and the brand.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Wag N Wash reads against the rest of the grooming and pet retail group: Aussie Pet Mobile · EarthWise Pet · Pet Supplies Plus · Scenthound · Woof Gang Bakery · Zoomin Groomin. The grooming and pet retail guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?What a financial performance representation does and does not tell you.
- What should I be looking at every week?The handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.