Hounds Town USA Signs a Lease for New Location in Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, NC — While businesses across virtually every industry are scaling back operations to survive an historic health and economic crisis, the doggy daycare franchise Hounds Town USA is continuing to grow thanks to increased demand for its essential offering. The pet care brand recently signed a lease for a new location in Wilmington, North Carolina at 1611 Capital Road. Franchisee and Wilmington native Scott Weikert will be bringing Hounds Town USA to the Tar Heel State for the first time, with a tentative opening date of July 2020.

“When it was time for something new after spending several decades in the restaurant industry, I wanted a career opportunity in which I could utilize my customer service experience and love of dogs,” said Weikert. “After deciding I wanted the support of a franchise model, I researched several doggie daycare concepts in the area and Hounds Town USA stood out. Not only does the franchise offer a reasonable and retainable business model, but discussing the opportunity with brand president Jackie Bondanza made me feel supported and comfortable.”

In addition to the winning business model, Weikert was drawn to Hounds Town USA’s unique consumer offering. “As a dog owner myself, I was extremely impressed with the way in which Hounds Town locations encourage socialization and consider their clients — the dogs — and not just the owners,” he said. Hounds Town USA prides itself on providing a safe and welcoming environment for dogs complete with interactive daycare, pet boarding, dog grooming, a pet taxi and retail services.

Wilmington, North Carolina has the capacity for up to three more Hounds Town USA locations. In terms of future expansion, Weikert hopes to open a second and third location in the Wilmington area over the next couple of years in either Brunswick County the Jacksonville area. The pet care brand is also looking to grow in the nearby markets of Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro.

In 2019 the company enjoyed a systemwide revenue increase of nearly 40% and opened four new locations while signing deals for another 20 locations. In 2020 Hounds Town USA plans to open seven to ten new stores and expects to sign 15 new deals. Recently, the brand has been successfully expanding its footprint to the southern U.S. market, including recent deals near Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh and Orlando.

In this uncertain economic landscape, Hounds Town USA is leveraging this strong Q1 performance to provide some measure of certainty for its franchisees and their customers. The franchise has no plans to slow its growth throughout the rest of 2020 and aims to open three new stores in three new markets in Q2.

Since healthcare professionals and other essential workers are working overtime and are in critical need of additional pet care, Hounds Town USA has been designated as an essential business, allowing the franchise to continue operating while many other businesses have been forced to close temporarily. Plus, with the record-high pet adoption rates the country has seen since stay-at-home orders have gone into effect, the franchise is expecting an even greater influx of business once restrictions are scaled back and pet owners return to their workplaces.

“We’re fortunate to have a business model that was built to survive a crisis like this, and we’re doing everything we can to extend our good fortune to our neighbors and set franchisees like Weikert up for even more success when this chapter is over,” said Bondanza. “Now, we are excited to bring Hounds Town USA’s essential services to the community of Wilmington, North Carolina.”