How COVID-19 Increased the Demand for Dog Groomers

posted 7 August, 2020 – by master

COVID-19 has affected many industries in good & bad ways. Fortunately, due to a variety of factors, the mobile dog grooming industry saw a large increase in demand across the board.  At Blue Wheelers we have found that the standard amount of washes per month reaches almost 26,000 dogs. Since COVID-19 this has increased to 34,500 dogs per month, an increase of approximately 33%. Many of our groomers are fully booked well in advance and have been experiencing a ‘Christmas rush’ of grooms over winter, which is usually a quieter period.

In Australia, mobile dog grooming is classified as an ‘essential service’ and has continued to operate within Covid-19 Social distancing regulations.  Demand has been higher than normal as many bricks & mortar dog grooming salons were unable to operate. Many families are now at home more with their dogs and are more aware of their smelly dog or the need for a professional groom. Dog ownership & fostering has boomed in 2020 as well. Adoption centres & breeders have been receiving an unprecedented amount of applications. You can read about this in more detail at the blog “The Dog Ownership Boom of COVID-19” by Dash DogWash. 

At Blue Wheelers we have found an increase in franchise enquiries.  More people than ever are wanting to join our team and skill up to become a certified dog groomer. Overall, enquiries for franchises have increased by 44% this year. Normally we train a new groomer & welcome them to our family every 4-6 weeks on average. Since April 2020 we are training at least one new groomer every fortnight. This is due to people seeking a career change – one that will give them more control over their life & finances.  So many are seeking more security having been stood down or unable to find satisfying work at the moment.  Many have seen our Big Blue Dog trailers on the road and noticed that COVID-19 has not affected our groomers who are carrying on with their business with social distancing in place. 

Keeping our groomers informed, protected and empowered to meet the challenges of Coronoavirus head on, enabling them to continue building their businesses.  You can read a testimonial from one of our groomers about how he thrived during COVID-19 here.

If you are interested in learning more about starting your own Blue Wheelers dog grooming franchise, click the link and submit an enquiry for your no-obligation information pack.