EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
EarthWise Pet, with its GroomBar concept, is a pet-retail and grooming franchise focused on natural food, supplies, and self- and full-service grooming. Franchisees run a store-plus-grooming operation managing inventory, groomers, and local customers.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR franchise requires a total initial investment of $288K – $596K, including a $40K – $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $288K – $596K
- 58th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 165
- 88th pct Pet Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Pet Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $288K – $596K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 states financial statements attached as Exhibit A; the most recent (Dec 31, 2024) are unaudited and Exhibit A is labeled 'Prepared without an Audit'. Audited statements (FYE Sept 30, 2022/2023/2024) are referenced but the figures are image-based and not present in the extracted text.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -28.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- NPM Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- EarthWise Holdings LLC
- Predecessor
- PET STUFF FRANCHISING, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- 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, WA 98072
- Auditor
- Miller Cooper & Co., Ltd.
- Unaudited
- Franchisor revenue
- $51.5M
- vs $64.2M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Seitz
- Headquarters
- WA
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 30
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 37% below the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $199K | $481K |
| Total initial investment | $288K | $596K |
Source: EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $288K – $596K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $75K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
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 | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
25%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21 states financial statements attached as Exhibit A; the most recent (Dec 31, 2024) are unaudited and Exhibit A is labeled 'Prepared without an Audit'. Audited statements (FYE Sept 30, 2022/2023/2024) are referenced but the figures are image-based and not present in the extracted text.
- Item 19 type
- historical + pro forma
- Sample size
- 111
- vs category median 12 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $97K→$2.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $220K→$991K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 7 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 68 Pet Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.5% — below the Pet Services average of 9.3%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports historical + pro forma rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System contracting at -28.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Pet Services averages
How EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 165
- Opened
- 14
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 11
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 3
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 14.0%
- Company-owned
- 58
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 65%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -28.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -28.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 14
- Closed (3yr)
- 11
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 16
- Franchisor bought back
- 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.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
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 43 / 100 verdict
- 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
- 03MED5% royalty on gross revenue with no disclosed Item 19 means earnings claims are unverifiable and potentially misleading
- 04MINORFranchise fee ($45K) is non-refundable while system contracts; high ratio of franchisees leaving suggests poor unit economics
- 05HIGHGoing Concern status = 'False' is ambiguous; requires clarification on franchisor financial health and runway
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 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 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | King County, Washington |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | WA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 82 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 46 hrs
- Training location
- Typically Seattle, Washington (remote/classroom) + onsite at Franchise Premises
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 13 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
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 – $596K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. 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?
EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the EarthWise Pet / GROOMBAR FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 out of 100 (higher is better), 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.