PetSmart Operations

ClownLoach
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: May 17th, 2022, 7:53 pm
ClownLoach wrote: May 17th, 2022, 4:31 pm


All I could say after seeing this dismal store is "Woof." And this is one of their "better" stores. I think it is time for someone to build a better pet store and come in and clean house with all of these lousy chains. (I heard Tractor Supply Company has a pet chain called PetSen$e that they are growing - maybe they will overtake them). PetSmart is clearly declining into a sad shadow of itself. It is obvious that they are limping along and not investing anything into their store environment. Petco is a chain of "mutts" - big stores, small stores, good stores, bad stores, new stores, old stores, but nothing consistent outside of the clearly overbuilt prototypes in their home market of San Diego. There is clearly room for a new leader in this category.
PetSen$e is nothing to get excited about. I went into one in Ontario, OR and it feels about as lacking as a bad Petco, but it is a small size store. It may have been 10k square feet but probably not. They don't even have an automatic door. Tough to take them seriously. I thought they were some kind of independent store as I was walking it. When I paid for what I was buying, which scanned wrong (some individual toys that had a quantity buy deal like 4 for $4 "mix and match" or something and all scanned at individual price since I bought 4 different ones) I had to wait around for them to figure out how to change the price or scan the same one 4 times or whatever they decided to do and noticed some signs at checkout about Tractor Supply. Since there were no other customers in the store (it was middle of the day on a weekend), it didn't inconvenience anyone as the only two employees on duty concluded how to handle it. I was standing there thinking surely this isn't owned by Tractor Supply. Then I learned it was.

I'd take Petco or Petsmart over PetSen$e any day.

PetSen$e may have been a good merger partner for Petco a few years ago but it sounds like Petco has gone in a much different direction as of late and that would no longer make sense.

Pet Supermarket may be a logical merger partner for PetSen$e. I'd miss Pet Supermarket but it has really gone downhill since the US Pet Valu Stores closed, far less mix and fewer promotions. Good thing about Pet Supermarket is there is usually a 10% off coupon available and the loyalty program of spend $100 get $5 off is straight forward.
I read they hired some new executives with big box experience and they are going to transform that PetSen$e chain into a 1000 store beast with larger buildings. It does sound from what you described like where Petco started up, boring little neighborhood stores, but the pictures I saw on the LinkedIn page were a PetSmart size store that looked like a Tractor Supply but all pet stuff. I looked up to see if they had any in California and there was just one little neighborhood store like you described that wasn't impressive in the pictures. If they can build it up though I believe Tractor Supply is a fairly financially stable company without the problem of private equity debt weighing them down and that makes me think that they could succeed in building a quality national chain. They wouldn't be doing it if they didn't see space in the market opening up. The PetSmart gloom and Petco chaos are paving the way.

There definitely is a need for a new leader in this industry though. But I do start to wonder what it will look like. Seeing a lot of other little chains that operate in that small 5,000 foot range and primarily sell high end product like Pet Supplies Plus, Centinela Pet, Krisers, Pet Food Express, and Kahoots. It seems like the customer is moving away from the big boxes which is why PetSmart and Petco are in such a sad state and either they are buying at the supermarket/Target/Walmart/Costco or at one of these smaller more boutique like stores. Really is reminding me a bit of what happened to Toys R Us - yes they had financial problems but so do the top two pet chains - they really lost sight of the customer and thought they would survive just because they were the only big toy chain. Seems like the survival strategy PetSmart and Petco have. Until it stops working and the wheels fall off....
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: May 18th, 2022, 10:28 am
I read they hired some new executives with big box experience and they are going to transform that PetSen$e chain into a 1000 store beast with larger buildings. It does sound from what you described like where Petco started up, boring little neighborhood stores, but the pictures I saw on the LinkedIn page were a PetSmart size store that looked like a Tractor Supply but all pet stuff. I looked up to see if they had any in California and there was just one little neighborhood store like you described that wasn't impressive in the pictures. If they can build it up though I believe Tractor Supply is a fairly financially stable company without the problem of private equity debt weighing them down and that makes me think that they could succeed in building a quality national chain. They wouldn't be doing it if they didn't see space in the market opening up. The PetSmart gloom and Petco chaos are paving the way.

There definitely is a need for a new leader in this industry though. But I do start to wonder what it will look like. Seeing a lot of other little chains that operate in that small 5,000 foot range and primarily sell high end product like Pet Supplies Plus, Centinela Pet, Krisers, Pet Food Express, and Kahoots. It seems like the customer is moving away from the big boxes which is why PetSmart and Petco are in such a sad state and either they are buying at the supermarket/Target/Walmart/Costco or at one of these smaller more boutique like stores. Really is reminding me a bit of what happened to Toys R Us - yes they had financial problems but so do the top two pet chains - they really lost sight of the customer and thought they would survive just because they were the only big toy chain. Seems like the survival strategy PetSmart and Petco have. Until it stops working and the wheels fall off....
Their best move may just be to try to buy Petco... (probably not PetSmart).

We will see how Tractor Supply fares in the coming five years. I am not too impressed with their stores, operations, or pricing. Tractor Supply seems to severely understaff their stores and their pricing is terrible. They keep expanding... but we've seen a lot of retailers that are able to keep expanding... for a while.

Those smaller 5k independent/regional chains are gaining traction all over the US. I think the big box format for pet stores is dead, but nobody will admit it yet. People who want the best deal just buy at Wal Mart or a Supermarket, or order online. People who want the specialty product are not price sensitive and will go to whatever place is most convenient to them (unlikely to be the big box).
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by ClownLoach »

I was just in shock to see most of an entire city block in Belmont Shore, CA where six small stores were is being cleared out for a Pet Food Express. Aside from a Rite Aid this will be the largest store in this very small, beachside shopping area. I do agree the big box format is on life support but everyone is in denial.
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Re: PetSmart Operations

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ClownLoach wrote: May 19th, 2022, 5:21 pm I was just in shock to see most of an entire city block in Belmont Shore, CA where six small stores were is being cleared out for a Pet Food Express. Aside from a Rite Aid this will be the largest store in this very small, beachside shopping area. I do agree the big box format is on life support but everyone is in denial.
Didn't Petco have a small format called Petco Unleashed?
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by mbz321 »

storewanderer wrote: May 19th, 2022, 11:34 pm
Didn't Petco have a small format called Petco Unleashed?
They still have a few scattered locations (Two in Philadelphia), although it seems like the majority have closed down.

Speaking of Petco, I noticed a new 13,000 sq foot location in my area opening up soon, next to an Amazon Fresh. It looks like it will also have veterinary services. This is the first new Petco branded store I have seen in this area in more than a decade. This is sort of interesting as Petco had a much larger location a few miles away in the neighboring town that closed about 6 years ago.
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by Brian Lutz »

There used to be a Petco Unleashed store in Kirkland near where my sister-in-law used to live, but at some point they removed the "unleashed" part and now it operates with regular Petco branding. It's definitely on the small side for a Petco (I'd say about 5,000 square feet.)
Last edited by Brian Lutz on May 20th, 2022, 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: May 19th, 2022, 11:34 pm
ClownLoach wrote: May 19th, 2022, 5:21 pm I was just in shock to see most of an entire city block in Belmont Shore, CA where six small stores were is being cleared out for a Pet Food Express. Aside from a Rite Aid this will be the largest store in this very small, beachside shopping area. I do agree the big box format is on life support but everyone is in denial.
Didn't Petco have a small format called Petco Unleashed?
They do not seem to be moving forward with it and most of the locations have closed in this area. I don't think they renew the leases when they are up. The Unleashed stores varied in size, some were maybe just 2,000 Sq ft. I don't think that size works well for anyone.

The Belmont Shore Pet Food Express one is rather surprising as there are very few blocks that contain a single building with one owner that could be converted to a box store. That is probably the only way this was snuck through. I do not believe that there is any parking, and logistics will be a nightmare for them. I think there will be an explosion amongst the local residents when they see this big box dropped smack in the center of a old fashioned neighborhood shopping district and they will refuse to shop there from day one. This is not a place for a box store, it is a coastal "Main Street USA" type place.

Rite Aid already struggles to operate here but they landed in a rare acquisition of a moderately sized independent drugstore called Egyptian Pharmacy - named for its architecture. Of course they fixed that with regular Rite Aid architecture in a remodel.
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: May 20th, 2022, 5:23 pm

They do not seem to be moving forward with it and most of the locations have closed in this area. I don't think they renew the leases when they are up. The Unleashed stores varied in size, some were maybe just 2,000 Sq ft. I don't think that size works well for anyone.

The Belmont Shore Pet Food Express one is rather surprising as there are very few blocks that contain a single building with one owner that could be converted to a box store. That is probably the only way this was snuck through. I do not believe that there is any parking, and logistics will be a nightmare for them. I think there will be an explosion amongst the local residents when they see this big box dropped smack in the center of a old fashioned neighborhood shopping district and they will refuse to shop there from day one. This is not a place for a box store, it is a coastal "Main Street USA" type place.

Rite Aid already struggles to operate here but they landed in a rare acquisition of a moderately sized independent drugstore called Egyptian Pharmacy - named for its architecture. Of course they fixed that with regular Rite Aid architecture in a remodel.
Noticed a Petco Unleased by the Amazon Fresh in Long Beach.

Also it seems Rite Aid's self checkout program is only in Los Angeles County. Went into a few Orange County locations and no self checkouts. Makes no sense.
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: May 21st, 2022, 6:18 pm
ClownLoach wrote: May 20th, 2022, 5:23 pm

They do not seem to be moving forward with it and most of the locations have closed in this area. I don't think they renew the leases when they are up. The Unleashed stores varied in size, some were maybe just 2,000 Sq ft. I don't think that size works well for anyone.

The Belmont Shore Pet Food Express one is rather surprising as there are very few blocks that contain a single building with one owner that could be converted to a box store. That is probably the only way this was snuck through. I do not believe that there is any parking, and logistics will be a nightmare for them. I think there will be an explosion amongst the local residents when they see this big box dropped smack in the center of a old fashioned neighborhood shopping district and they will refuse to shop there from day one. This is not a place for a box store, it is a coastal "Main Street USA" type place.

Rite Aid already struggles to operate here but they landed in a rare acquisition of a moderately sized independent drugstore called Egyptian Pharmacy - named for its architecture. Of course they fixed that with regular Rite Aid architecture in a remodel.
Noticed a Petco Unleased by the Amazon Fresh in Long Beach.

Also it seems Rite Aid's self checkout program is only in Los Angeles County. Went into a few Orange County locations and no self checkouts. Makes no sense.
That Unleashed was the last one to open in the East Long Beach area that I can think of. The first was next to the Vons and former Rite Aid in the Traffic Circle center, a solidly busy center and it closed. There is one in an old bank building at 7th and Redondo by the Smart and Final where they have closed off the street side entrance completely and as a result there are frequently multiple homeless people camped under the awning there making the store look abandoned to cars driving by. Of the 3 locations the one by the Amazon makes the most sense as it is about 2 miles in all directions from another Petco or PetSmart, but then it is next to that sleepy Amazon Fresh that can't be bringing in any business.
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Re: PetSmart Operations

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: May 22nd, 2022, 8:26 am
That Unleashed was the last one to open in the East Long Beach area that I can think of. The first was next to the Vons and former Rite Aid in the Traffic Circle center, a solidly busy center and it closed. There is one in an old bank building at 7th and Redondo by the Smart and Final where they have closed off the street side entrance completely and as a result there are frequently multiple homeless people camped under the awning there making the store look abandoned to cars driving by. Of the 3 locations the one by the Amazon makes the most sense as it is about 2 miles in all directions from another Petco or PetSmart, but then it is next to that sleepy Amazon Fresh that can't be bringing in any business.
The Unleashed looks to have a steady stream of a customer or two.

The Amazon Fresh is somewhat busy there sometimes. It had at least 30 other customers yesterday, plus about 10 employees walking around picking orders. Not sure how many of the customers were using the $20 off $35 or whatever it is coupon (says $40 but seems to discount well below threshold). Of the Amazon Fresh units I've gone to that is the only one I liked. It still has the various issues (out of stocks/mix), but produce is great and their effort on the bakery/deli is better than the others.
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