Pet Grooming: A Business of Rs. 300 Crore Industry

By Shilpi Kumar

"Every dog has his day,” is a popular saying, but a pooch in the hands of the likes of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, or even our very own Bipasha Basu, is one lucky pup! Adorned in designer clothes and shoes, sprayed with ex­pensive perfume, and with their hair trimmed and styled, these four-legged creatures are living a much-coveted dream—a dream that their owners are willing to fulfill with pleasure!

But celebrities are not the only ones availing the services of a pet groomer. People from all walks of life now own exotic breeds and are just as enthusi­astic about taking their pets through that heavenly experience.

Welcome to the business of pet grooming!

An Overview of the Pet-grooming Business

Taking pets out to a professional pet-grooming salon has been extremely popular in the US where you can find such parlours in almost all cities. The salons offer a wide range of services including shampooing, blow drying, hair cutting and styling, nail trimming, ear cleaning, massaging and perfuming with the average price ranging anywhere between U$30 and U$50. Depending on the breed size, the coat condition, the length and temperament of the pet, the bill can even inflate up to U$150.

But in India “pet grooming is still a fairly new concept with only about four full-fledged pet grooming salons in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore that specialise primarily in dog grooming,” says Preeti Kumar, who, along with her husband Sanjiv run Scooby Scrub, a pet grooming salon in New Delhi. In the US, both dogs and cats get to pay regular visits to salons, while in India it is mostly restricted to dogs, as cats lose out because of various superstitions associated with them. “In our parlour, 80 percent of the customers come to groom their dogs, although we do get customer’s bringing in cats, guinea pigs, hamsters and birds, every once in a while,” adds Preeti.

Opportunities Beyond Pet-grooming

Apart from setting up pet grooming parlours, there are many off shoots in this segment that can be explored. Setting up pet grooming training schools is one such opportunity. Such a school could have the possibility of attracting not only potential professional pet groomers, but also other pet lovers and owners who want to know how they can keep their pets healthy and well groomed.

Another opportunity lies in starting lodging services for pets, as people look for a clean, safe and loving environment for their pets, when they go out on vacations etc. Running a door-to-door pet grooming service could also be a good option, although many pet groomers claim that grooming a pet in their own familiar territory can be quite challenging.

How Big a Market is This?

The pet industry in India is estimated to have a revenue potential of Rs 350 crore, out of which Rs 150 crore is attributed to the medical, grooming and immunisation segment. According to the Research and Consultancy Enterprise (RACE), the consulting arm of the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) in Gaziabad, there are about 2.2 million domestic dogs in Indian households, with the population increasing by around 26 percent a year. According to DARE estimates, the total market size of the pet grooming industry in 2007 was Rs 132 crore. This is expected to grow to Rs 299 crore by 2010.

Do I Need to Get Certified?

Not really? A formal training or certification is not as important as having passion for pets. “All you need to be is a genuine animal lover with lots of patience and dedication. Certification helps you learn the correct method but you have to be an artist to visualise and create an anatomically correct dog, close to the standards as possible,” says Yashodhara Hemchandra, who along with her two daughters—Rishya and Radhiya—run the Fuzzy Wuzzy Pet Grooming Parlour in Bangalore. Yashodhara has been dealing with pets for almost three decades now. She claims that her kennel— Yashbans—which she started much before taking to pet grooming, is one of the most reputed in the country. Her experience in dealing with dogs of diverse pedigree made her task easy when she opened the pet-grooming parlour.

“You need more of a heart, than a business mind to be in this profession and it really does not matter what your qualifications are. I was a vet assistant and also worked with an NGO In Defense of Animals (IDA), before I opened my salon in 2001. I did do a vet assistance correspondence course from America, but majority of what I learnt was through trial and error. I constantly read books and browse the net to keep myself abreast of industry trends,” says Gauri of TailWaggers Salon, based in Mumbai.

Preeti of Scooby Scrub was a teacher and her husband was a banker before they decided to give in to their passion for pets and went to an institute in Bangkok to get formal training. The 8-month training was an hour session everyday, but the couple worked long hours to finish the training in three months.

How Do I Develop a Good Clientele?

Besides following the traditional method of advertising, one should keep in close contact with local vets and pet shop owners, as they play a significant role in referring their customers to pet grooming salons. “We share a symbiotic relationship with veterinarians where we refer clients to them if they are in need of clinical treatments and they refer the clients to us for regular grooming and hygiene,” says Gauri. Preeti of Scooby Scrub Parlour got a majority of her customers from her pet food and accessories shop—Petbytes. She now caters to around 4,000 customers, and the figure is rising sharply.

Yashodhara from Fuzzy Wuzzy Parlour also claims that her clientele is growing everyday because of word of mouth. “It started with people seeing my well groomed and gleaming dogs at the dog shows, but now my business is growing only because of the satisfaction of my clients and their recommendations to their family and friends,” she says.

What Challenges will I Face?

Getting equipment for pet grooming can be a hurdle. Although there are various brands here like Dabur and Ayur dealing in pet products, pet-grooming equipment is not as readily available.

There is a plethora of equipment, products, and accessories that are required to set up a pet-grooming parlour. These range from cages, clippers, dryers, tables, tubs, blades, brushes, combs, scissors, dental, ear and nail care products, sprays, shampoos, conditioners, detanglers, bandanas, bows, collars etc. However, these are not easily available in India and need to be imported.

Imported scissors, dryers and special grooming blades are expensive. One blade costs around Rs 6,000 and wears out in about ten uses. Yashodhara says “I use the most reputed and finest products which I personally bring with me during my various trips abroad for dog shows and grooming exhibitions.” However, customers don’t realise how much money goes into equipment, and often question the high cost of grooming.

This gives rise to another challenge, which is justifying the grooming costs to the clients. Because some find the pricing ‘absurd’, they tend to shy away from such parlours or go for a kind of grooming service that comes cheap rather than what is apt for their pet. People are not ready to spend as much on their pets, and hence making them realise the importance of their pet’s hygiene is a big challenge.