A national pet supplies retailer has announced it will take over about 40 store locations that were previously operated by Pet Valu.
Pet Supplies Plus said it will take over locations in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia.
In November, Pet Valu announced it was closing all of its 358 U.S. stores and warehouses, as well as its corporate office in Pennsylvania.
Some of the new Pet Supplies Plus locations are expected to open as early as this month.
Pet Supplies Plus offers a wide array of pet care products, toys and pet food, and also offers in-store services including grooming and pet washes. Pet Supplies Plus also offers same-day delivery services and curbside pickup.
One of the new locations will open at the West Shore Plaza in Lemoyne occupying the former 4,600-square-foot Pet Valu space. The store will open in the coming weeks, according to Richard Jordan III, CEO of the Smith Land Improvement Corporation, which owns the West Shore Plaza.
The former Pet Valu stores that Pet Supplies Plus will take over will be a mix of corporate and franchisee-owned Pet Supplies Plus locations. The company said it is currently looking for franchisees for some of these locations.
“These store conversions present a turnkey business opportunity for potential franchisees to step in and operate the stores with a significantly shortened store opening timeline, take advantage of established real estate and benefit from minimal build out expenses vs. building a brand new brick and mortar location,” the company said in a press release. “Potential franchisees will also benefit from inheriting an established neighbor base in need of pet foods, goods and services.”
Pet Valu had a number of locations in the midstate, including some that have opened in recent years. Pet Supplies Plus has not announced any of the other former Pet Valu locations that it has acquired in Pennsylvania. Angelic Venegas, a spokesperson for Pet Supplies Plus could not be reached for comment.
Pet Supplies Plus said it expected to open an estimated 100 new stores in 2021, which includes the previously operated Pet Valu stores.
Pet Supplies Plus has more than 500 stores in 35 states. The only location in the midstate is in the Lancaster area.
—Business Buzz
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First Published: January 12, 2021, 5:00 a.m.
Updated: January 12, 2021, 1:25 p.m.
