Markets 
Say goodbye to your local pet supply.
Tractor Supply, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the US, just announced in an earnings call that dozens of its pet stores will be shutting down for good. Petsense by Tractor Supply is a pet specialty retailer within the company’s portfolio and as of late June had 209 locations across 23 states.
After a careful reevaluation, Tractor Supply said that will change as about 75 Petsense stores will be wiped off the map.
“Following a disciplined review of Petsense, we’ve decided to close approximately 75 underperforming stores. We believe these actions will improve returns, simplify the business, and allow us to direct resources towards higher growth, higher return opportunities,” said CEO Hal Lawton on the July 23 earnings call.
Lawton pointed out that the stores were not making enough cash to even cover costs that are local to each location, like rent, labor and inventory. He claims shutting the poor-performing stores will give the company the chance to reinvest.
Tractor Supply CFO Kurt Barton added that the closures are “strategic repositioning” and aim to create a “healthier, more profitable business” that better aligns with the core business — Tractor Supply. This is because while the company is not directly correlated to Petsense, Tractor Supply still sells similar pet items.
While it’s not great news for Petsense, Tractor Supply will be opening up around 85 to 90 new stores. Lawton revealed that its original estimate was 100 new spots but that has since come down.
“We plan to open approximately 85 to 90 new stores in 2027 compared with our previous expectation of 100 new stores. And we will redeploy that capital toward initiatives such as Project Fusion remodels, store locations, and Final Mile delivery,” the CEO said.
The Post reached out to Tractor Supply for a list of locations closing down but has not heard back.
Longtime Petsense fans are flocking to social media to share their feelings (mostly bad) once they heard the news, with some even placing blame on management.
“Complete bs!! They have the best groomer around! My dog is scared of electric clippers and they hand-groom him every three weeks. He loves going there. What a bad management decision,” the Facebook user wrote.
Another customer who loved their dog grooming service cried, “This [is] very disappointing. Our dogs are groomed here. It is very hard to find groomers accepting new clients.”
It wasn’t only sad shoppers who commented; a slew of skeptics felt the pet store chain was not worth the money, as other retailers sell similar products for cheaper.
“Unfortunately I new [sic] they wouldn’t last way [overpriced] when you can go next door and buy a lot less. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good move. I went in a few times seen there high prices. It’s even bad when the employee’s [sic] would go others places to buy because with there [sic] small discount it didn’t matter. Greedy corporations never last long; they have know [sic] idea about the market there in.”
A fourth user wrote, “They were way overpriced and had a terrible selection.”
Read the full article here
