| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Genre | Pet store |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Number of locations | 1,075+ |
| Products | Pet supplies, Live animals |
| Owner(s) | TPG Capital Leonard Green & Partners |
| Website | http://www.petco.com |
PETCO is a chain of retail stores that offers pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training. Founded in 1965 and incorporated in Delaware, it is headquartered in San Diego, California. Its mascots are Red Ruff (dog) and Blue Mews (cat), who both appear on the corporate logo.
As of 2010, PETCO had over 1,000 locations in 50 states and the District of Columbia. PETCO opened its first store in Kona, Hawai'i, in the fall of 2008.
Brian Devine is the Chairman of the Board and James Myers is the CEO. Bruce Hall retired as the COO at the end of the 2007 fiscal year.
On July 14, 2006, PETCO announced the company would be acquired by two private equity groups, TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners, at a cost of $1.8 billion.
The PETCO Foundation, since its inception in 1999, has raised in excess of $34 million for support of more than 3,500 non-profit animal welfare programs across the nation.
In 2004, PETCO launched the "Think Adoption First" program, which encourages the adoption of companion animals as opposed to the outright purchase of them.
PETCO runs a natural/holistic food section in its stores referred to as "It's All Natural". The line contains a variety of brands of natural foods that offer no additives or preservatives, and includes only pure/natural ingredients.
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Unleashed by PETCO is a boutique style concept store first opened in Hillcrest, San Diego, California. The stores are smaller than a typical big-box PETCO store and specialize in natural, organic, and higher-end products.
PETCO was spotlighted when they were selling large exotic birds in their shops. In 2005 they signed an agreement with PETA to end the sale of large birds.[1]
In June 2010, prosecutors from Marin, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Mateo and Santa Barbara counties announced that PETCO had agreed to settle a $1.75 million consumer protection lawsuit, without admitting liability. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court that alleges Petco overcharged its customers and improperly cared for some animals, following inspections of PETCO stores throughout California from 2005 through 2008. PETCO paid more than $850,000 to resolve a similar case in 2004. [2]
PETCO in Mission Viejo, California is now requiring that whenever a "feeder mouse" is purchased, the customer must sign a form promising to take good care of the mouse. Although they acknowledge that it is a feeder mouse, PETCO first stated this was a law of the State of California, then a law of Orange County, and now store policy. PETCO in Mission Viejo will not sell the feeder mouse to the customer if said customer refuses to sign the form.
In September 2011, a PETCO location in Johnson City, New York came under fire when, during a severe flood of the surrounding area caused by Tropical Storm Lee, nearly 100 animals drowned when staff failed to move them to safety.[3] Despite severe weather warnings and flood advisories for the nearby river in the days leading to the flood, PETCO had initially claimed it didn't receive warnings by the local government that flooding was going to occur, and decided not to move the animals. PETCO had also claimed that the casualties were caused by a backup in the store's drain/sewage line, and not by the flooding that had submerged the store with four feet of water. Johnson City Mayor Dennis Hannon has called PETCO's initial claims "absurd", and stated that "With all the flood warnings and evacuation orders that were issued, for them not to go down there is just absolutely disgusting", further commenting that the flooding was caused by the weather and river flooding, and that the sewer/drain line backup was only a small part of the problem. Johnson City police have also stated that flood warnings were issued by the National Weather Service, and they should have been taken more seriously.[4][5][6] On September 12, 2011, PETCO issued a statement accepting full responsibility for the event, saying that they "misjudged" the risk of a flood. PETA has called for a criminal investigation against PETCO.[7][8]
PETCO owns the naming rights to the new PETCO Park baseball stadium, home to the San Diego Padres.
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