PetSmart Builds Out New Concept Stores

PetSmart, the specialty pet retailer, is breaking ground and expanding its store portfolio with new concepts.

In the quarter ending October, 31, 2016, PetSmart opened 20 new stores across the U.S. and Canada, which added to the 23 stores it opened during the first and second quarters of 2016, bringing the total number to 43 new locations this year.

Included in last quarter’s openings were the PetSmart Pet Spa in Oceanside, N.Y., and PetSmart at the Beach in Toronto.

The company is using the new concept stores to test out initiatives aimed at improving how pet services and an enhanced pet lifestyle are combined, all within a smaller retail footprint, Chain Store Age reported.

“We are excited about our continued growth in key markets across North America,” Brian Amkraut, senior vice president of real estate, strategy and initiatives, explained. “These new stores allow us to build on the continued trend of premiumization in the pet industry. We are able to reach more pet parents by expanding in new growth markets and providing more convenient locations and options to our pet parents.”

The PetSmart Pet Spa opened in August and is entirely focused on services suffused with modern design touches, such as the coffee bar/lounge area where owners can enjoy a free drink while their pet gets groomed. The 7,400-square-foot spa location is much smaller than the average PetSmart retail location and offers a range of services from academy-trained, certified stylists.

“In order to innovate at retail, you have to try new concepts and that’s really what the PetSmart Pet Spa in Oceanside, New York, is all about,” Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer of PetSmart, said at the time. “Like any spa, our Pet Spa store is intended to provide the amenities and comforts to enhance one’s lifestyle, but this time with your pet.”

Just last month, PetSmart reached a new retail milestone — opening its 1,500th store in North America.

The nearly 18,000-square-foot store, which opened in Sheradin, Colo., is part of an 80-store U.S./Canada/Puerto Rico-wide expansion effort in 2016 to grow the pet supply store’s retail footprint.