PetSmart

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PetSmart, Inc.
Type Public
Traded as NASDAQ: PETM
S&P 500 Component
Industry Retail
Founded 1986
Headquarters Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Number of locations 1,192 (2011)[1]
Key people Robert F. Moran[2] CEO
Products Pet Supplies, Grooming, Training, PetsHotel, Doggie Day Camp
Website www.petsmart.com

PetSmart, Inc. is a retail chain operating in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico engaged in the sale of specialty pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training, cat and dog boarding facilities, and daycare. PetSmart also offers a varied selection of animals for sale and adoption such as birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and several breeds of small animals like guinea pigs, chinchillas, gerbils, hamsters and mice.

PetSmart Rt. 1, Saugus, Massachusetts

History

The PetSmart in Harmon Meadow Plaza in Secaucus, New Jersey.

PetSmart was founded in 1986 and opened its first two stores in 1987 under the name PetFood Warehouse in the Phoenix area. In 1989, the name and logo changed from PetFood Warehouse to PETsMART. PetSmart continued to grow and in 1993 went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange listed under the symbol "PETM". In 1994, PetSmart formed PetSmart Charities, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending euthanasia and finding homes for homeless pets. Petsmart.com made its debut in 1996.

A PetSmart location in Traverse City, MI

In early 2000, PetSmart remodeled most of its stores in a plan they called "Eagle" which changed many stores from a front-half storefront, back-half warehouse feel to an all-over standard retail market. In August 2005, the company announced that it was rebranding its name from PETsMART to PetSmart.[3] This move, which de-emphasized "Mart" and emphasized "Smart", was designed to announce its evolution from a pet supply store to a solutions-oriented company.[4]

As of May 2010, PetSmart operated approximately 1,160 stores and about 165 locations with PetsHotels and Doggie Day Camps. Many PetSmarts also contain Banfield Pet Hospital veterinary offices.[5]

A location at the Savi Ranch Center in Yorba Linda that has a Banfield inside

Grooming Guarantee

As stated on its website and several television advertisements, PetSmart offers a "Great Look Guarantee" for grooming services. If customers are not happy with the groom and staff cannot do anything to fix it, the cost of service will be entirely refunded.

Product lines

Dog products

PetSmart owns several brands that produce a variety of products:

Grreat Choice, previously Award, is a grocery line of dog food owned by PetSmart. Dog and cat hardgoods are also sold under the Grreat Choice logo.

Authority is a premium dog and cat food line that PetSmart distributes.

Simply Nourish is a super-premium dog and cat food line offering canned and dry food, and limited ingredient, and grain-free formulas.

Top Paw is a private label used for dog and cat hardgoods.

Cat products

PetSmart owns several brands which produce products for felines. Like dog food, PetSmart has a line of Authority cat food, available in canned and dry varieties. Similarly, Authority is considered a premium food. A second, less expensive brand, Grreat Choice, is PetSmart's grocery-level cat food, which is also available in dry and wet varieties. Grreat Choice was previously Sophisticat prior to 2012 and Award before that. PetSmart also produces cat litter, under the name Exquisicat, as well as most litter-related products. Toy Shoppe, which produces dog toys, also has a variety of cat toys.

Bird, fish, and small animal products

PetSmart sells fish tanks, stands, and aquarium decorations under the Top Fin name. Top Fin also makes gravel, filters, heaters and other accessories, including starter kits that include several basic components. The former PetSmart label for store brand fish supplies was Proquatics. Bird and small pet products are created under the All Living Things label, and includes most items necessary for bird and small animal husbandry; including cages, bowls, perches, food, and hygiene products.

In January 2008, PetSmart temporarily suspended sales of birds in all U.S. stores as a precautionary measure after random testing found a small percentage of cockatiels that tested positive for psittacosis, a fairly common infection in birds that may produce cold-like symptoms.[6] PetSmart resumed selling live birds again in April 2008 after comprehensive testing and treatment.

Horse products

Formerly, certain PetSmart stores included a State Line Tack section. It provided a wide selection of saddles, halters, bridles, saddle pads etc. State Line Tack also sold feed and other equipment for the care of horses.

In 2007, PetSmart put State Line Tack, including all catalog and internet business, up for sale and effectively removed all State Line Tack merchandise from stores. State Line Tack was eventually purchased by Horse.com, one of many websites owned by Pets United.[7]

PetsHotel

The original PetsHotel was developed and operated by David Mackstellar and Rodger Ford in Arizona.[8][9] PetSmart purchased PetsHotel from Mackstellar and Ford in 2000 [10] and presently, PetSmart continues to create and operate PetsHotels within their locations throughout the US and Canada.[11]

Charities and adoption centers

PetSmart has helped stray pets find homes with families. Rather than selling dogs, cats, rabbits and other larger animals in the store, PetSmart donates space to local rescue groups. Rescue groups are also provided with donations of food, litter and other supplies. Fees from adoptions are collected by the groups themselves. With each adoption, PetSmart gives the new guardians a book which provides basic care information for their new pet. As of June 11, 2012, over 5,000,000 pets have been adopted through Petsmart adoption centers. Bi-annually, PetSmart hosts an adoption weekend featuring more adoptable pets than at other times.

PetSmart Charities, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, also raises money for local adoption groups, including groups for which it does not offer in-store space. In many stores, donations are collected at the register via traditional drop boxes. Some stores also ask customers if they wish to donate a dollar at the register when they use a credit or debit card. PetSmart charities also has an annual donation drive. Proceeds from Petsmart Charities events are given to over 3,400 adoption partners. PetSmart Charities claims that of the six to eight million pets collected by rescue agencies, three to four million are euthanized simply because they do not have a loving home.

PetSmart Charities Inc. is set to award the Austin Humane Society the first of three grant installments totaling $227,000 to assist in funding AHS's new Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Program.[12]

PetSmart Charities is also known for its Rescue Waggin' program. The program operates specially-designed trucks that transport adoptable dogs from areas that are overpopulated to partner shelters where adoptable animals are in demand. Rescue Waggin' operates trucks in the Midwest and the Northeast regions of the United States. The program has saved more than 10,000 pets since 2004.

PetSmart also operates an online Pet Parent community at Pets.com.

Allegations by PETA

PetSmart has been the subject of public criticism by animal rights organization PETA for the company's sale of live birds. PETA alleges that it is cruel to sell birds bred in warehouses and feels that the breeding of the birds is similar to the use of puppy mills. PETA renewed its demands that PetSmart permanently stop selling live birds after the voluntary halt in bird sales because of the psittacosis outbreak in January 2008.[13] PETA also claims that the use of pest control glue traps within PetSmart stores is cruel. PETA feels that because the stores sell various species of rodents, that it is hypocritical for them to engage in rodent pest control. PetSmart counters that it is unfair to characterize its bird breeders as similar to puppy mills since these operations must meet the company's veterinarian established and industry leading standards for the breeding, care and transportation of these pets. Also, small pets sold in the stores are bred to be pets and should not be confused with wild rodents, which carry disease and are destructive to property. It maintains that essentially all major retailers, restaurants and grocers with rodent control programs effectively use glue traps, even though many chains including Rite Aid and CVS have stopped selling glue traps.[14]

On January 23, 2008, PETA posted a press release accusing one of Petsmart's largest vendors, Rainbow World Exotics, of neglect and cruelty to animals.[15] Videotape provided by an undercover PETA member who infiltrated the facility as an employee shows small animals treated cruelly and neglected. The more serious allegations included laypersons (not vets) neutering animals with unsafe provisions, live animals thrown in the trash, loose animals killed intentionally, and sick animals killed or left to die with no veterinarian interaction attempted. After these allegations PetSmart launched an investigation which reported discovering no serious wrongdoing by Rainbow, although they agreed that a neutering which was videotaped did not meet their or veterinary standards.[16] PETA is filing complaints with the USDA and pursuing criminal charges with the county of Hamilton, Texas, where Rainbow World exotics is located.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PetSmart Reports Results for the First Quarter 2011". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  2. ↑ "Petsmart.com". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  3. ↑ "PetSmart thinks outside the big box". 
  4. ↑ "PETSMART Company Info". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  5. ↑ "History Timeline". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  6. ↑ "PetSmart halts sales of birds after testing reveals infections". Al.com. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  7. ↑ "Pets United buys State Line Tack". Multichannelmerchant.com. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  8. ↑ Anthem Equity
  9. ↑ PetsHotel Will Offer All The Comforts Of Home
  10. ↑ PetSmart Corporate History
  11. ↑ PetsHotel Locations
  12. ↑ "Austin's Humane Society nets PetSmart grant"; Austin Business Journal; February 19, 2007
  13. ↑ "PetSmart Suspends All Bird Sales Following Outbreak". Blog.peta.org. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  14. ↑ "Glue Traps". Helpinganimals.com. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  15. ↑ "Rainbow World Exotics Expose by PETA". Peta.org. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 
  16. ↑ "PetSmart's Investigation of Rainbow Exotics". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-01-21. 

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