Buying a Pet Valu franchise in Canada

What Pet Valu is, and the banners

Pet Valu’s franchise site calls the company “Canada’s largest pet specialty franchise”. Its Annual Information Form, the yearly filing by Pet Valu Holdings Ltd., says its franchise model rests on the Pet Valu, Bosley’s by Pet Valu, Chico and Paulmac’s Pets franchise systems, and that its terms are, in most cases, substantially similar across Pet Valu, Bosley’s by Pet Valu and Paulmac’s Pets. Bosley’s by Pet Valu is a banner of the same company, so Deavo counts Bosley’s listings with Pet Valu. Chico, whose franchisees the filing places in Québec, has some differing terms, which the filing says Pet Valu is working to harmonize with its own. The filing says that on January 3, 2026 there were 370 franchisees operating 613 franchised stores across eight provinces. All of this is the franchisor’s own account (read Oct 23, 2026), reached through archived copies because Pet Valu’s sites block automated readers.

An owner-operator model

Pet Valu’s process page describes “our owner-operator business model with Pet Valu and Bosley’s”. The filing says a franchise “must be managed by at least one designated ‘operator’ who devotes their full working time and best efforts” to the day-to-day, on-premises operation, that the operator must have completed Pet Valu’s training and not be engaged in any other business, and that every individual with an ownership interest must personally guarantee the franchisee’s obligations. It adds that a selected franchise operator “must live within an acceptable driving distance” of the store, and that no owner-operator runs more than six stores. A buyer who intends to hold the store as a passive investment should read those sentences closely.

The screening steps

The filing lists the steps in order: a screening call, then the franchisee application; a potential site is selected and the candidate pays a refundable deposit; interviews with senior executives follow, each producing a written assessment; recommended candidates go to the CEO; a credit check and a criminal background check are completed; and an approved candidate must secure financing before entering the franchise agreement. Whether any particular applicant passes is Pet Valu’s decision, not a promise made by a listing.

The agreement in outline

The filing says the term is typically 10 years from the store’s opening date, followed by two five-year successor terms if the franchisee meets renewal conditions, including a renewal fee equal to 25% of the then-current initial franchise fee. The agreement identifies a store-specific territory in which Pet Valu agrees not to operate a new corporate-owned store or grant a new franchise, subject to exceptions and reserved rights. Almost all Pet Valu, Bosley’s by Pet Valu and Paulmac’s Pets franchisees sublease Company-approved premises from Pet Valu or an affiliate. The costs and fees page sets out the money, and the existing-unit page covers transfers.

The listings on Deavo are new-location ads

Deavo’s Pet Valu listings on Nov 3, 2026 were in Alberta (4), New Brunswick (4), British Columbia (3), Nova Scotia (2), Manitoba (1), Prince Edward Island (1) and Saskatchewan (1). All 16 are Pet Valu’s own advertisements for new locations, not stores that a franchisee is selling, so the price on such a card is not the asking price of a trading store. Pet Valu’s locations page shows where its own site said it was expanding as of February 2026.

Disclosure law where Pet Valu is listed

six of the seven provinces with Pet Valu listings have franchise disclosure statutes. Where a statute applies, the franchisor must give a disclosure document before the buyer signs or pays. In Ontario, where Pet Valu’s site also says it is expanding, the Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2000 requires the document “not less than 14 days” before the earlier of signing an agreement relating to the franchise or paying any consideration for it, and it must contain “all material facts” (s.5(1) and 5(4)). Keep the date you receive it. See what disclosure a resale buyer gets.