— By Katie Lee —
With more than 250 stores, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming brings love and joy to pets and their pet parents — across more and more communities in North America.
Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, a leading pet grooming and gourmet treat destination, is coming off a banner year. In 2024, the boutique retail concept opened a record number of new stores, quadrupling its historical annual average of new openings with more than 50 new stores. Woof Gang is on track to open more than 70 stores in 2025, which includes additional expansion in Canada, where the company successfully opened its first store in Toronto in 2023.
“2024 was a transformational year for Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming,” says Ricardo Azevedo, chief executive officer of Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming. “We opened over 50 new stores, far surpassing our previous expansion pace and giving us a national presence. Today, we have more than 250 stores open, with more than 450 locations open or under development.”
Azevedo attributes Woof Gang’s unprecedented 2024 growth to the company’s deep commitment to celebrating the bond between pets and their pet parents. Three key factors fueled the expansion: passion, community and demand. Known for its passion for pet wellness, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming isn’t just a pet store — it is a luxury grooming and treat destination, offering best-in-class services and premium, all-natural products. Franchisees are local business owners who bring love and care to their communities, while Woof Gang supports them with comprehensive training, marketing and operational resources. There is rising demand for quality pet care; pet parents want the best for their furry family members, and Woof Gang delivers.
“More important than the number of stores is our focus on opening in great pet communities, partnering with passionate franchisees who are well-trained and set up to succeed,” Azevedo says. “Our goal is to bring the Woof Gang experience — rooted in love, joy and exceptional service — to neighborhoods where pets and their families truly benefit from what we offer.”
Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming is targeting several U.S. markets in 2025 coast to coast, focusing mostly on areas where pet parents love to pamper their pups, including California, the Midwest, the Northeast and Southeast. Its historic 2024 growth included significant expansions into California, Arizona and Idaho — marking its first major footprint in the western U.S. In September 2024, it opened two stores in Evergreen and Sacramento, California, which was Woof Gang’s debut in California and the fourth new state it entered last year, following successful launches in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and a significant milestone opening in Brentwood, Tennessee, earlier in 2024. By the end of 2024, Woof Gang had extended its geographic reach to Minnesota as well. With stores now spanning 26 states and two countries, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming has become a household name for pet lovers across North America.
In California, the company is on pace to open 30 stores in 3 years in key markets like Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area. Midwestern markets like Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit are showing strong demand for boutique pet grooming and high-quality treats. And, from New York to Florida, these regions remain a stronghold for Woof Gang.
“We’re opening stores in places where pet ownership is high, and local pet communities are thriving,” Azevedo says.
Woof Gang stores typically range from 1,000 to 1,800 square feet, optimized for both salon-style grooming and retail. The company loves locations that are in high-end neighborhood shopping centers with strong foot traffic; convenient for pet parents, such as real estate near grocery stores, fitness studios and lifestyle retailers; and in pet-friendly communities, where owners seek premium services and products.
“Our goal is to create a warm, welcoming space that spreads love and joy to every pet family that walks through our doors,” Azevedo says.
Founded in 2007, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming makes its corporate home in Miami, while also operating a world-class training center in Orlando, Florida, where every new franchise owner goes through an immersive program to learn ‘The Woof Gang Way’ — where every dog is treated with care, kindness and attention to detail.
“Our hands-on training ensures that every store upholds the highest standards in grooming, pet wellness and community engagement,” Azevedo says. “Woof Gang was founded with a simple but powerful mission: to spread love and joy to pet communities through exceptional grooming and all-natural treats.”
Woof Gang knows how to differentiate itself in a crowded but booming pet products and services industry. Offering boutique salon-style grooming, its pups are pampered even more than people. “We provide luxury, personalized grooming experiences, where every dog is treated with The Woof Gang Way.”
Stores feature a gourmet bakery filled with premium, all-natural dog treats, including deco-rated cookies, jerky, chews and its customer-favorite, Woof Gang Chicken Chips — which is crispy, crunchy and made from just one ingredient: chicken breast. Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming also offers high-quality pet supplies — including premium food, supplements and stylish accessories. Everything a store displays on its shelves or offers as a service is designed to support pet health and happiness.
“We continue to raise the bar for pet wellness, one groom and one treat at a time!” Azevedo declares.
Featuring a community-driven franchise model, each store is locally owned. This strategy creates a neighborhood pet shop feel with personalized service that celebrates the bond between pets and their families. And, within a pet supplies & services industry that has exploded since the pandemic, a franchise model is the perfect way to meet growing demand.
“We are 100% franchise-owned, which allows us to offer the highest level of care, delivered locally by members of each community we serve,” Azevedo says. “This model ensures that every store is owned and operated by passionate individuals who are deeply invested in their local neighborhoods. It also allows us to scale our brand while preserving the personalized, community-driven experience that sets Woof Gang apart.”
The industry is strong and growing, Azevedo says. “While some sectors are stabilizing, pet parents continue to invest in premium care, high-quality nutrition and grooming services. The humanization of pets is here to stay, and Woof Gang is at the forefront of this movement.”
As it looks toward the future, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming aims to eclipse 500 stores, continue to innovate in pet wellness with new product launches, and strengthen its community impact by giving back to local pet organizations. Taken together, its near- and long-term goals further Woof Gang’s overall — simple but powerful — mission.
“At the end of the day, Woof Gang is all about love, joy and making every pet feel special,” Azevedo says. “That’s our mission, and that’s what fuels everything we do.
What brings Azevedo joy on a daily basis is seeing satisfied customers — both people and their pups. “The best part of my job is seeing the joy we bring to pet parents and their dogs,” he says. “Whether it’s a pup leaving our grooming salon looking fresh and fabulous or a dog wagging its tail over our crispy, crunchy Chicken Chips, every moment is about celebrating the love between pets and their families.”
— This article originally appeared as the cover story of the April 2025 issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business magazine. If you are interested in having your retail or restaurant concept profiled on an upcoming cover, email Editor Katie Lee at katie@francemediainc.com.