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CNN Business
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Horses, cattle, goats, pigs and sheep also have food and grooming needs, and Petco is stepping up to provide products and services to their owners.
Petco announced Thursday that it is launching a new small store concept designed specifically to meet the needs of pets and farm animals in small towns and rural communities.
The first Petco Community Farm and Pet Supply Store will open June 17 in Floresville, Texas, 28 miles southeast of San Antonio. The pet supplies and services retailer said the new store will offer a curated range of food and services, including mobile vaccinations, grooming and self-service stations for owners to wash farm animals.
In partnership with Petco Love (formerly the Petco Foundation), community farms and pet supply locations will offer adoption services and other health and wellness programs to further support local pets. Customers can also buy “companion animals” such as guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, reptiles and amphibians at the store, just like in some existing stores.
Similar to Petco’s city store, the community store will offer same-day delivery and curbside pickup.
Petco CEO Ron Coughlin said in a statement that small towns and rural communities are “fast-growing markets” for the pet care industry. “This is an exciting opportunity for us to serve more pets by significantly expanding local access to healthy pet products and services.”
The company, which operates more than 1,300 stores in the U.S., said it expects to open some of these stores in 2022 as it works to expand the market beyond urban centers.
Earlier this year, Petco announced a pilot partnership with home improvement retailer Lowe’s (LOW) to bring its brand to select Lowe’s (LOW) stores in a “shop-in-shop” format.
The companies said they expect to open 15 such locations in 2022.
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