EarthWise Pet / GROOMBARFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR franchise requires a total initial investment of $288K – $863K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $545K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $288K – $863K
- 57th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $545K
- 28th pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 9th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 165
- 80th pct Pet Services
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Pet Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
The system contracted 29% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
30% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $288K – $863K including a $45K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $545K/year (median $482K), with an estimated 30% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 37/100.
- System contracting at -11.6% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- NPM Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- EARTHWISE HOLDINGS LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Michael Seitz
- CEO experience
- 2008 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- WA
- HQ
- 19400 144th Ave NE, Ste. E, Woodinville, Washington 98072
- Auditor
- Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $51.5M
- vs $64.2M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
EarthWise Pet/GROOMBAR franchisees operate pet grooming salons and/or pet supply retail locations with emphasis on eco-friendly, sustainable products and services. Day-to-day operations include grooming appointments, customer service, inventory management, staff training, and marketing within their protected territory.
- CEO
- Michael Seitz
- Headquarters
- WA
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 30
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $193K | $718K |
| Total initial investment | $288K | $863K |
Source: EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$90K
16.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
14%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $288K – $863K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 3.3 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $10K |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
A 6.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $545K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $482K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $174K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 30.2%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Historical and Pro Forma
- Sample size
- 112 units
- vs category median 12 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $97K→$2.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $224K→$991K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 75 Pet Services brands
Revenue is only 0.9x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Pet Services averages
How EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 165
- Opened
- 14
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 15
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 3
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.1%
- Company-owned
- 58
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 65%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -28.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -11.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Transfer rate
- 2.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 78.1%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 2.4%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 6.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Rapidly collapsing franchise system (−29% units YoY) with unverified financial claims, no Item 19 disclosure, and unclear franchisor viability creates HIGH RISK for new franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating
- 01MEDSevere unit decline of 28.7% YoY indicates systemic problems or mass attrition (165 units down from ~231)
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) disclosed — cannot validate claimed $246,947 avg net income or $545,417 revenue
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($288K-$863K) combined with declining franchise base creates survivorship risk
- 04MED5% royalty on gross revenue with no disclosed Item 19 means earnings claims are unverifiable and potentially misleading
- 05MINORFranchise fee ($45K) is non-refundable while system contracts; high ratio of franchisees leaving suggests poor unit economics
- 06HIGHGoing Concern status = 'False' is ambiguous; requires clarification on franchisor financial health and runway
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory radius | 0.1 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 30 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | King County, Washington |
| Governing law | Washington |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Time to open
- 14 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
129 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR franchise?
The total investment to open a EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR franchise ranges from $288K – $863K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $545K. The median is $482K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR has 165 total units in the United States, including 107 franchised units and 58 company-owned units. 14 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 37 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.