Central Bark hits $38.6M in trailing sales as 71% of locations set monthly revenue records

71% of Central Bark's franchised dog care locations set all-time monthly revenue records in the third quarter, the Milwaukee-based company said, as trailing-twelve-month systemwide sales reached $38.6M. Average unit volume topped $938,000 for locations open more than 24 months, and same-store sales rose 9.8% year to date.

Central Bark reports $38.6M in trailing sales across 45 locations

Central Bark describes itself as a whole dog care franchise network offering enrichment day care, boarding, training and grooming. The company was founded in 2003 and operates 45 locations, according to its latest report. Its systemwide membership count also reached an all-time high, the company said.

One new unit stood out. Central Bark Poughkeepsie, New York, passed $1.7M in trailing-twelve-month revenue within its first 24 months open, which the company called the fastest in its history. In October the brand opened a store in Athens, Georgia, its second in the state.

The quarter also came during a change at the top. Chief Financial Officer Jason Perras was promoted to chief executive in August, and Central Bark joined the Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing private companies the same month. Bob Crawford was the company's CEO when it published 2025 results in January.

"Surpassing these historic milestones this quarter reflects the strength of our Whole Dog Care model and the commitment of our franchisee network to delivering exceptional care in their communities," said Central Bark CEO Jason Perras.

On operations, Central Bark said its point-of-sale system now supports abandoned-booking recovery and automated drip campaigns, and that corporate staff supplied franchisees with marketing, messaging and creative assets.

How the quarter compares with Central Bark's earlier reports and its rivals

Central Bark's own earlier releases give a baseline. In January it reported 2025 systemwide sales of $34.8M, up 16.1%, with 44 operating locations in 16 states, same-store sales growth of 6.3% and an AUV of $875,000 for mature locations open a full fiscal year. Fourteen units topped $1M in revenue. The AUV figures use different definitions, a full fiscal year in January and more than 24 months now, so the two numbers describe different sets of stores.

In October 2025 the company reported 15% third-quarter systemwide growth and 11% same-store growth with 43 locations. The network has added two units since then.

Larger dog care chains work at a different scale. Franchise Times lists Camp Bow Wow at $217M in global systemwide sales across 222 franchised units, with sales growth of 2.3% and unit growth of 2.8%. Dogtopia said in February it was poised to cross 300 stores in 2026. Central Bark's 45 units are a fraction of either chain's count.

Central Bark also has a software link we have covered. MoeGo added the franchise to its Premium Partner portfolio in June.

What the results mean for franchise buyers and what Central Bark plans next

The audience for this report is mostly prospective franchisees and the lenders and landlords who size them up. Unit economics are a core question for them, and Central Bark has now published AUV, the share of units above $1M and same-store growth for two reporting periods. Our guide to franchise unit economics goes deeper on those measures.

For rival chains, the Poughkeepsie result is a data point on how fast a new daycare and boarding site can ramp in a Northeast market. For vendors selling into multi-unit dog care, a 45-store system that uses POS-driven marketing automation is a customer profile worth tracking.

Central Bark said it is heading into the final quarter on track to surpass $40M in trailing sales. Its plans for the rest of 2026 include new market entries, additional memberships and new stores, and Perras said the company is focused on "translating this momentum into our next phase of growth" as it looks toward 2027.

The next check is the year-end franchise report.

Source: Central Bark via PR Newswire