The $11 billion U.S. grooming segment has been quietly fractured for years. It is under-standardized, over-priced, and emotionally taxing for both pets and people. Yet it sits within a $140 billion pet-care industry that Morgan Stanley projects will more than double by 2030, driven by younger, higher-spending owners and a decisive shift toward services.
Sparkle Grooming Co. saw opportunity where others saw inefficiency. Its founders, veterans of franchising and retail services, borrowed the operational discipline of Quick-Service Restaurants (QSR) and applied it to pet care, creating an entirely new category they call Quick-Service Pet Care (QSPC).
From Fractured to Frictionless
Where legacy grooming models rely on individual talent and inconsistent execution, QSPC standardizes care around precision systems and predictable experiences. Each salon operates on a membership-based model that replaces one-time transactions with recurring wellness visits. Think Starbucks reliability meets vet-level credibility: bright, transparent salons designed for comfort, consistency, and trust.
“Grooming shouldn’t start with stress or end in surprise,” says Joe Aeppli, Sparkle’s COO and Co-Founder. “We built Sparkle to make great care accessible, affordable, and delivered with the same precision and heart every time.”
The Human Engine Behind the Model
Sparkle’s people strategy is as innovative as its business model. Groomers are salaried professionals, trained through digital and in-salon academies that emphasize safety, empathy, and skill mastery. In an industry known for burnout and turnover, Sparkle treats education as infrastructure.
Every new team member begins with mobile learning that builds foundational knowledge, followed by in-salon mentorship that develops technique, consistency, and confidence. For those pursuing advanced certification, Sparkle provides access to professional grooming programs that deepen expertise and career growth. Together, these layers create a scalable system that strengthens quality and builds lasting careers.
Purpose Meets Performance
Sparkle has reimagined grooming through membership offerings designed to meet the recurring needs of every breed. The result is a model that blends consistency, convenience, and community impact in equal measure. A portion of every membership supports local K9 rehoming and service organizations, aligning pet-parent loyalty with social good. For franchise partners, the model’s simplicity, with minimal inventory, efficient footprints, and digital systems, drives strong unit economics and scalable growth.
Since launching franchise opportunities in 2024, Sparkle has awarded more than 345 licenses across 19 states, demonstrating that a category once defined by fragmentation can be rapidly scaled with both discipline and intention.
Building the Next Generation of Pet Care
Pet care spending is projected to rise to $1,445 per pet by 2026, with services outpacing products as owners prioritize wellness over whim. Sparkle’s QSPC model is positioned squarely at that inflection point, bridging clinical credibility and consumer access to deliver what the modern pet family actually wants: a grooming experience that feels better, works better, and means more.
“We’re not just grooming dogs,” Aeppli says. “We’re building a better industry for the pets, the people, and the business.”
