Petland Named on Entrepreneur Magazine''s Franchise 500

Petland was ranked as one of the top franchises in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine. The pet specialty chain climbed 29 spots this year, ranking 442 overall on Entrepreneur's 36th Annual Franchise 500.

"It is an honor to once again be recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the top 500 franchise concepts in the United States," said Petland, Inc. president and CEO Joe Watson. "This recognition is a testament to the relevance of the Petland brand and our proprietary operating model."

According to Entrepreneur.com, there are more than 3,000 active franchisors in North America.

"The strength of the Petland franchise system lies within the dedication of our Petland franchisees located around the world," said Petland's director of communication Elizabeth Kunzelman. "People from across the globe love pets and the Petland brand is the world leader in pet retail."

In conducting its annual rating of franchises in the world, Entrepreneur considers  financial strength, stability, growth rate and size of the franchise system. Other rating factors include number of years in business, length of time franchising, start-up costs, litigation, percentage of terminations and whether the company provides financing. An independent CPA firm audits financial data. Every company with verifiable data receives a cumulative score. The franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500.