LIVONIA, MICH. — After Pet Valu announced it will close all 358 of its pet retail stores in the United States due to COVID-19 impacts, Pet Supplies Plus announced Dec. 22 plans to purchase roughly 40 previous Pet Valu locations across seven northeastern states.

Pet Supplies Plus, one of the fastest-growing pet retail franchises in the country, will acquire various Pet Valu stores in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and will reopen them as Pet Supplies Plus stores in January 2021.

"I would like to extend gratitude to the Pet Valu team, who have been nothing but professional and supportive throughout this entire process," said Nick Russo, senior vice president of franchising and store operations for Pet Supplies Plus. "This exemplifies the type of culture Pet Valu has developed, and we are excited to offer many Pet Valu associates a new home with us."

These store acquisitions by Pet Supplies Plus will save numerous pet retail jobs that would otherwise be lost amid the Pet Valu store closings.

Pet Supplies Plus will divide the estimated 40 store locations between corporate-owned and franchisee-owned operations. The former Pet Valu stores “present a turnkey business opportunity” for new and existing Pet Supplies Plus franchisees, as well as providing reduced build-out and branding expenses. The new Pet Supplies Plus stores will also inherit existing neighborhood customer bases.

"We chose locations where we knew Pet Supplies Plus will make the biggest positive impact, especially for pet parents who need a community retailer to depend on for their pet needs," said Chris Rowland, chief executive officer of Pet Supplies Plus. "We're honored to provide these neighborhoods with a large assortment of quality pet products and services with knowledgeable team members ready to help make pet ownership easier."

Pet Supplies Plus currently operates more than 500 stores across 35 states.

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