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Choosing A Pet Supply Store
By Dog Lover | December 24, 2009
Owning a pet supply store franchise is big business and is part of an billion industry. There are approximately 7,500 retail pet supply stores in the United States, with the vast majority of them falling under the PetsMart, PetCo, Pet Supplies Plus or Petland banners. The fifty largest companies account for 60% of sales and the industry is growing as the number of pet owners grows. If you are looking for a pet store to do business with, then here are some of the most popular.
PetsMart is a top retailing pet supply store, with more than 1,107 outlets in 47 U.S. states and Canada. They also have 132 PetsHotels, or cat and dog boarding facilities. At their Doggie Day Camps, over 378,000 dogs are trained each year. The pet grooming facilities clean up 7.5 million dogs and cats each year, the 1,000 pet hospitals care for 3.5 million pets annually and the pet adoption services help 7,000 pets find new happy homes. As for pet care products, shoppers will peruse 13,000 unique items for birds, cats, dogs, small mammals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids and fish. Ongoing reward programs and promotions keep the store competitive and their pet supplies online site remains at the top.
PetCo began in 1965 as a mail-order veterinary supplies company with five employees (then called United Pharmaceutical Company/UPCO). Owner Walter Evans opened his first pet supply store in La Mesa, California in 1976 to sell higher quality veterinary supplies, food and pet products directly to consumers. During the eighties, under the PetCo moniker, the business began to expand from servicing ranchers, kennels and cat rescue centers to encompass a broader base. They acquired several smaller stores and expanded out of state to Oregon, Washington and Texas. Pet services like grooming salons were added in 1995 and their P.A.L.S. card incentives program launched in 1997, which is now up to over one million members.
No matter which pet supply store a consumer chooses, there are many available products and services. Another great thing about these stores is that they both have a “pets allowed” policy, so dogs and cats can walk right into the store to pick out their own favorite toys or treats. Some people may head online to find deeper discounts, better store hours and hassle-free shipping right to their front doors. Both PetCo and PetSmart offer convenient online shopping for their customers at www.petco.com and www.petsmart.com, respectively.
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