While the pet healthcare and food industries are growing steadily behind the scenes, pet grooming salons or parlours have become increasingly visible in the country’s metropolitan cities

For the country’s growing number of animal rights activists and household pet lovers, new opportunities have emerged to combine their pleasure — love of pet animals — with business.

According to Euromonitor International, a London-based transnational market research agency, the population of pet dogs and cats in India numbered almost 18.5 million in 2018, a number that is expected to grow considerably in the near future. Consequently a host of vocations and professions have begun to take wing in the fledgling but promising pet healthcare and grooming businesses. The estimated revenue of the Indian pet foods, healthcare and grooming industry will rise to Rs.2,400 crore by end 2022.

While the pet healthcare and food industries are growing steadily behind the scenes, pet grooming salons or parlours have become increasingly visible in the country’s metros, especially Delhi and Mumbai. The multiplying number of pet salons in the metros and tier I cities has opened up opportunities for a high-potential career choice for animal lovers.

Pet grooming services are mostly availed for dogs, especially long-haired breeds, and can include basic services such as bathing, hair drying, eye cleaning, teeth brushing, nail care and hair trimming or complex hair styles such as the ‘lion cut’, the ‘teddy bear cut’, the ‘lamb cut’, etc. Additional services include manicures, herbal hair colouring, dematting, deshedding, anti-tick treatments, hydro cleaning and nail painting, perfuming, aromatherapy and massage.

“Proficient groomers are expected to offer both routine and show grooming services, for pet and show dogs respectively, and to be able to cater to felines. People are now more open to spending on their pets due to increased education and exposure, and pets are now regarded as members of the family and not just guards of home spaces,” says Sanjeev Kumar, the country’s premier pet care entrepreneur. Kumar gave up his career with HDFC Bank in 2005 to pursue his passion for pet grooming and was joined by his teacher wife, Preeti. He promotes his pet care business under the name of Scoopy Scrub and owns 12 salons in Delhi, and has licensed 13 franchisees in Jaipur, Hyderabad, Pune, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Dehradun, Vijayawada, Secunderabad, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore.

A mere love of animals though, is not enough to make a career in pet grooming. A diploma programme will facilitate entry into pet salons and also empower aspiring entrepreneurs to start their own salons or businesses. Until recently, Indian pet care professionals were obliged to travel overseas to acquire certified qualifications — mainly to Singapore which is a more budget-friendly option, compared with pet care academies in Europe or the US.

However, now several pet lovers and entrepreneurs have promoted training schools in India. Among them: Fuzzy Wuzzy Pet Grooming School and the Shevar Grooming School, Bangalore; Whiskers & Tails, Mumbai; and Scoopy Scrub, New Delhi, which offer basic and advanced pet grooming diploma programmes of 20-60 days duration. “Advanced courses instruct students on all-breed styling and clipping, stripping techniques, feline grooming, selection and maintenance of equipment, clipping with different blade sizes and extensions, styling and scissoring, as well as salon management and maintenance,” says Kumar.

The Mumbai-based Whiskers & Tails and Scoopy Scrub, Delhi, offer professional qualifications and franchise rights to graduates to promote franchised salons in other cities and towns across India.

For pet care professionals who prefer foreign certification, the Grooming School, Australia; New York School of Dog Grooming, Nash Academy, and Petropolis Grooming and Training Academy, USA, offer short-term on-site and online programmes. But Dog Care, Singapore (estb. 1983) has long been the favourite of Indian pet care professionals and entrepreneurs.

According to Kumar, in the fledgling pet care industry, professionally certified freshers signing up with established parlours can expect to start at a modest Rs.1-1.5 lakh per year. However most qualified pet care professionals prefer to start their own salons which requires a minimum capital expenditure of Rs.4-6 lakh. Grooming charges may be as low as Rs.100 for a nail clip or ear cleaning, or as high as Rs.2,000-4,500 for all-inclusive packages. Charges also vary depending upon the size of pets. The number of clients may alternate from six-ten per day, with more appointments on weekends.

“The gross revenue from all our ten salons is Rs.35-50 lakh per annum and now we’re in the black. But with pet lovers beginning to invest generously in their pets, I am optimistic about the future,” says Kumar, who plans to promote few more parlours across India under the owned and franchised model.

From a decade ago when maintenance was restricted to simply bathing a pet once a month and brushing her down with a flea comb, it has morphed into a professional, respect-worthy and most importantly, commercially viable vocation, enabling animal lovers to combine business with pleasure.

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