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San Francisco pet owners are set to lose access to one of the pet care industry’s biggest brands with the upcoming closure of the city’s lone PetSmart location.
PetSmart’s store located in the City Center shopping center on Geary Blvd. is set to close on July 19, according to a report by SFGate.
The pet store chain confirmed the planned closure in an email to SFGate, explaining that the company remains “committed to serving pet parents throughout San Francisco, who will continue to have access to nearby PetSmart locations, including our Daly City store, as well as online shopping with convenient delivery options.”
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The company also told the outlet that it’s expanding fulfillment capabilities at the Daly City store to better serve the community.
San Francisco PetSmart employees who will be affected by the closure are being offered resources to help in their transition and “information about opportunities at nearby PetSmart locations,” SFGate reported.
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PetSmart’s San Francisco location has provided boarding services for customers’ dogs and cats, along with grooming services, though those services aren’t currently available at the location, according to the company’s website – though pet training and adoption services remain available.
The company cited “a number of factors” as contributing to the decision to close in its comment to SFGate, noting that with increasing numbers of customers using online shopping, autoship and same-day delivery services, PetSmart is adapting how to best serve pet owners.
FOX Business reached out to PetSmart for comment.
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San Francisco’s retail sector has faced headwinds in recent years, with a number of Walgreen’s stores closing as well as the San Francisco Centre shopping mall losing brands like Adidas, American Eagle, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Michael Kors.
PetSmart was acquired by private equity firm BC Partners in 2015 for $8.7 billion and the firm remains its majority shareholder, though Apollo made a strategic investment in the chain in 2023.
The company acquired Chewy – a rival pet product retailer that focuses on e-commerce – through a deal in 2017, though BC Partners moved to separate the two companies in 2023.
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