Petland Among Best of the Best on Entrepreneur’s Latest Franchise 500® List

CHILLICOTHE, OH (Jan. 15, 2026) – Chillicothe, Ohio-based Petland, Inc. is celebrating its inclusion on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2026 Franchise 500® list, securing the No. 204 spot – up from No. 215 last year. Petland is among 1,354 franchise businesses evaluated for the ranking. The Franchise 500® is the world’s first and most comprehensive franchise ranking tool.

“Petland is the perfect fit for entrepreneurs who love pets and thrive on engaging with people to enhance the human-animal bond,” said Petland President and CEO Joe Watson. “As we near our company’s 60th anniversary, and 55 years of franchising our business model, Petland has built a successful franchise system that delivers results for entrepreneurs and provides consumers around the world with safe, trusted access to pets and pet products. We appreciate this recognition of our mission and view it as a catalyst for continued growth and success.”

Being named to the annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500® is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry. The list serves as a key resource for entrepreneurs considering a significant investment in a franchise opportunity.

“For 47 years, the Franchise 500 has been the gold standard for identifying franchise excellence. This year’s ranking proves that the best brands don’t just survive changing markets; they thrive in them,” says Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur magazine’s editor in chief. “These 500 companies represent some of the most reliable pathways to business ownership in America, each one vetted through our rigorous analysis of what actually drives franchisee success.”

To be eligible to rank, a franchisor must be seeking new franchisees in the U.S. or Canada and have had a minimum of 10 units open and operating as of July 31, 2025, with at least one franchise located in North America. Each eligible franchisor was scored using more than 150 data points, and those with the highest cumulative scores earned a place in this year’s Franchise 500®.

To learn more, visit entrepreneur.com/franchise500.

Petland Media Contact: Maria Smith, maria.smith@petlandinc.com, 740-775-2464 Petland, Inc. is a specialty pet retail franchise operation with more than 300 worldwide locations. Petland has stores located in Canada, Brazil, China, El Salvador, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the U.S.A. For more than 58 years, Petland pet counselors have been dedicated to matching the right pet with the right customer and meeting the needs of both. To its customers who already have pets, Petland is dedicated to enhancing their knowledge and enjoyment of the human-animal bond. Petland was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in south central Ohio. For more information about Petland, visit www.petland.com.