Camp Bow Wow Strengthens Position as Leader in Pet Care Industry with 2018 Business Successes & 2019 Growth Forecasting

WESTMINSTER, Colo., April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Camp Bow Wow®, the largest and leading doggy day care and boarding franchise, announced 2018 to be one of its strongest years of growth and innovation in company history upon the release of the Franchise Disclosure Document this month. With a 12% increase year-over-year in system-wide gross revenue¹, the 125+ million-dollar brand² opened 20 new locations in 2018 and closed the year with a grand total of 165 Camps. Kicking off 2019 on a high note, Camp Bow Wow has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as #1 in the Pet Services category in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500®, the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking.

As the largest pet care franchise with over 4 million dog visits in 2018, additional system performance highlights from 2018 include:

• Annual Camp owner discretionary income increased to $165,694³ and the top 25% average increased to $268,195⁴;
• Annual gross revenue per Camp reached $878,850 on average⁵, with $1,291,047 on average for the top 25% Camps⁶ and $2,248,724 as the system high⁷;
• Camp Bow Wow welcomed over 270,000 four-legged customers in 2018, a 9% increase in total customer count.

In conjunction with the high-growth of Camp Bow Wow's franchise network, the company cultivated technological innovation at the corporate level to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding business. In 2018, Camp Bow Wow launched their cutting-edge proprietary Data Dawg 2.0 software, the central application for franchise owners to manage operations. Designed to replace legacy software, the upgraded and responsive platform eased day-to-day business management for franchise owners nationwide. Additionally heightening the customer experience, Camp Bow Wow implemented a website redesign with forward-thinking layout, enhanced functionality and enriched content.

"At the core of Camp Bow Wow's significant growth in 2018 is the strong partnership between our corporate support team and franchise owners that allows us to reach new milestones together," said Camp Bow Wow President, Cail Morrison. "Between launching our uniquely tailored Data Dawg 2.0 software, doubling our year-over-year growth in openings, and expanding our services and presence nationwide, we're thrilled to celebrate great successes of the past year as we continue to push ourselves to grow bigger and better in 2019."

A further testament to the brand's achievements, Camp Bow Wow received the Gold Stevie® Award in "Marketing Campaign of the Year" for the company's dynamic #GiveAFetch campaign. Through a collaborative effort between the brand's corporate team and franchise network, the company's #GiveAFetch's campaign aimed to promote being a responsible pet parent while celebrating the special things dog owners do for their pets. As a result of the 2018 initiative, the company donated $40,000 to shelters and rescues across the country.

With Camps in 42 states and Canada, and continuing to expand nationwide, Camp Bow Wow touts 32% of their system as multi-unit owners who have invested in multiple franchised locations. Further, the company opened Camp Bow Wow Fair Oaks in September 2018 as the first-ever location attached to a VCA Hospital, which offers on-site veterinary services by appointment.

Building upon the immense success of 2018, Camp Bow Wow has propelled the company momentum into 2019:

• Recognized for the fourth consecutive year as #1 in the Pet Businesses Franchises category on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list, and newly ranked #193 among all franchises for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power;
• Named this month for a third year in a row on Entrepreneur's Best of the Best List;
• On track to meet the projected goal of reaching 20 new Camps in 2019, with 4 new Camps already opened this year.

Forecasting to reach more than 300 units in the next four years, Camp Bow Wow is at the helm of the pet care industry with their continued growth and significant successes that position the company as the leading player in the doggy day care and boarding sector.

For more information about Camp Bow Wow, to find a location near you, or to become a franchise owner, please visit campbowwow.com.

About Camp Bow Wow®:

In 18 years, Camp Bow Wow, the largest pet care franchise, has sold more than 180 franchises in 42 states and Canada. The company is a $125+ million-dollar brand, with over 160 open locations and more than 40 in the process of opening across North America. From 2016 through 2019, the company ranked #1 in the Pet Services category in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list and named in Entrepreneur's 2018 Best of the Best List in pet services. The Camp concept provides the highest levels of fun, safety and service for its Campers, and peace of mind for their parents. Dogs romp together in an open-play environment and pricing is all-inclusive. The Westminster, Colorado-based company started franchising in 2003, and today over 70% of franchises have women in ownership positions. In addition to day care and overnight Camp, the company also offers in-home pet care, grooming services and a rewards-based dog training program. The Camp Bow Wow brand family also includes The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing urgent medical care funds to dogs who are either homeless or whose parents cannot afford to pay their veterinary bills. Since September 2017, Camp Bow Wow is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.

¹Figure represents the aggregate increase in annual gross revenue for the 165 locations that were open and operating for any length of time during the 12-month period ending December 31, 2018 when compared to the aggregate annual gross revenue for the locations that were open and operating for any length of time during the 12-month period ending December 31, 2017. The financial performance representation contained in Item 19 of our 2018 Franchise Disclosure Document also includes: (1) annual unit-level gross revenue; and (2) select expenses for expense reporting franchises.

²Figure represents the aggregate gross revenue for all locations that were open and operating for any length of time in 2018, including those owned by the Franchisor.

³Figure represents the average for the 133 expense-reporting franchises that were open and operating for more than 12 months as of December 31, 2018. Of all 133 expense-reporting franchises, 60 (45%) exceeded the average.

⁴Figure represents the average for the top 25% of all expense-reporting franchises that were open and operating for more than 12 months as of December 31, 2018. Of the 33 franchises representing the top 25%, 15 (45%) exceeded the average.

⁵Figures represents averages for all 133 expense-reporting franchises that were open and operating for more than 12 months as of December 31, 2018. 61 franchises (46%) exceeded the average.

⁶Figure represents the average for the 34 franchises that were in the top 25% of expense-reporting franchises open and operating for more than 12 months as of December 31, 2018. Of the 34 franchises, 8 (24%) exceeded the average.

⁷Figure represents the highest 2018 annual unit-level revenue reported by the 133 expense-reporting franchises open and operating more than 12 months as of December 31, 2018.

SOURCE Camp Bow Wow