mFrame Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Petco today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Drs. Foster and Smith, a leading veterinary-owned online pet supply company. This combination will unite one of the largest pet specialty retailers with one of the largest online pet retailers in the country. Based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Drs. Foster and Smith are among the nation's foremost authorities on pet care and education, with a strong reputation for their scope of veterinary expertise on prescription medications and quality products for dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, horses, pond life and small animals. "This move underscores our commitment to nurturing the complete health and well-being of animals and further allows Petco to meet the diverse and expansive needs of pet parents," said Jim Myers, Petco CEO. "As pet lovers first and foremost, our values are perfectly aligned with Drs. Foster and Smith, and we're confident this new addition to our business will help us continue to offer the very best in products and services to pets and pet parents." Petco provides customers with high-quality pet food, supplies and services, driven by the understanding that pet health goes beyond basic needs to include support of the physical, mental, social and emotional needs of pets. The acquisition will complement Petco's existing capabilities in pet health to include prescription services, including prescription diets, preventive care and a broad base of products created by licensed veterinarians. Drs. Foster and Smith was founded in 1983 as a group of four veterinary clinics with the goal of helping pets live healthier, happier lives by providing the highest quality veterinary care available. Dr. Race Foster, Dr. Rory Foster and Dr. Marty Smith's animal hospitals in Northern Wisconsin were the first in the nation to offer free rabies vaccinations and free spay/neutering services. Since its beginnings, Drs. Foster and Smith has developed a sterling reputation on the strengths of its top-level customer service, consumer education and competitive pricing, evidenced by tremendous customer loyalty and satisfaction. In 2003, the company began offering a full-service pharmacy that enables customers to fill prescriptions online and by mail order. The acquisition includes both Drs. Foster and Smith's prescription services as well as its popular branded products, including joint care supplements, dog and cat foods, dog beds, cat furniture, horse supplies, equine equipment and other pet care essentials. At our founding, our intent with Drs. Foster and Smith was to provide pet owners with veterinary advice and quality pet supplies at affordable prices," said Race Foster, DVM, and Co-Founder of Drs. Foster and Smith. "We believe Petco shares those same values, and we look forward to building on our original mission." The acquisition, in which Drs. Foster and Smith are represented by Falls River Group, is expected to be completed by early 2015 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. the terms of the deal are not being disclosed. https://community.petco.com/t5/petco-communications/Petco-to-Acquire-Online-Pet-Product-Retailer-Drs-Foster-and/ba-p/52846 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 interesting I already frequently purchase from both of them individually and have had only excellent experiences from both sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 DFS did put themselves on the market back in October so it shouldn't be too surprising that someone made a move on them. I don't have a lot of faith they can keep the brand operating anywhere close to what it is now. Petco could have carried all the supplies and the livestock of DFS for the past 10 years, no reason to assume they can do it through some assimilated DFS when they couldn't or wouldn't do it themselves. I don't really purchase supplies from them so no really relevant to my concerns, but I'm glad we have good LFS's here. Live aquaria is an irreplaceable vendor for people in rural areas as well as carrying a huge selection good quality livestock, especially in the diver's den. I also wonder what's going to happen to DFS's aquaculture and mariculture operations which are very large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Disappointing to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Got to love a small company that grew into something big being acquired by an even larger company. Got to hate the lack of competition. I too hope LA/DD stay around and run the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Sweet! These are the 2 main places I get pet supplies! Maby my dog food and fish food will get cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I think its neat. Im waiting on PetSmart and PetCo to merge so I can have some saltwater in my department. In the thread on R2R someone from DFS spoke up and cleared the air on a lot of things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Might explain why there was a frag tank in the Brodie Petco the other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Some Petcos have frag tanks. Mainly i guess larger stores with the space for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 The only reason Petco would have to acquire a business that sells online goods like they do, is to gain entry into the livestock sales market. If this were the case then the live sales will likely stay the same, however the dry goods service will fluctuate. Drs offers a greater variety of supplies at a price less than similar products at Petco. Eliminating competition would likely benefit them, but will also likely lose regular customers if the product lines shifts to brands already endorsed at Petco. I have almost exclusively been shopping through Drs. Foster and Smith for 20 years, but I will likely take my business to Pet Solutions. The products at Petco neither match the sophistication we require in this hobby nor match the price point people are willing to pay for inelastic goods. Pet Solutions is similar enough to Drs. to be an adequate replacement. I would shop through BRS if their free shipping threshold were lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 " Greetings, I would like to take a moment to respond and address some concerns posted in this thread. Dr. Race Foster and Dr. Marty Smith have worked incredibly hard over the last 31 years, to build an incredibly successful business, which revolves around education, pet heath, and responsible pet ownership. The Petco mission is elevating the lives of animals and enhancing the connection people have with their pets, with a commitment to the highest standards of social responsibility, while continually striving to make things better for pets, people and the planet. Understanding each company’s mission and goals are very similar, we feel this partnership and synergy is going to be beneficial to animals, pet owners, and aquarium hobbyists and enthusiasts alike. I can assure everyone, my personal mission as the LiveAquaria Director is to take LiveAquaria.com to an even higher level than ever before. The continued expansion of our Aquaculture Coral and Marine Life facility in Rhinelander Wisconsin, home of the LiveAquaria.com Divers Den®, allows us to offer an even greater assortment of quality aquatic life shipped direct to your door. Rest assured, Dr. Race Foster and I are not going anywhere, and will continue to operate Drs. Foster and Smith pet supplies and LiveAquaria.com as it's business as usual. Both Race and I are incredibly excited for the future and what lies ahead. Kindest Regards, Kevin Kohen Director of LiveAquaria Drs. Foster and Smith "Ignore any fails in my copying from my phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 Might explain why there was a frag tank in the Brodie Petco the other day That's been there for about 2 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Might explain why there was a frag tank in the Brodie Petco the other day That's been there for about 2 years now. Guess that shows how often I visit the store Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Petco has stopped selling live fish and their webpage directions to liveaquaria. http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_LiveAquaria.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 Petco has stopped selling live fish and their webpage directions to liveaquaria. http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_LiveAquaria.aspx Through the site, the stores will continue to sell live fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.