LIVONIA, MICH. — On March 28, Pet Supplies Plus announced that US Retail Holdings’ owners Aaron Young, Chad Bush and Doug DeLozier would add 20 new stores to the Pet Supplies Plus franchise. The new stores are expected to be fully operational within the next five years and will mostly be in Texas and Tennessee, with store No. 50 planned to open this summer.

"We are the largest chain of independently owned and operated pet stores because our franchisees know the power of pairing local retail with best-in-class infrastructures and home office support," said Chris Rowland, chief executive officer, Pet Supplies Plus. "We're honored that our largest franchise partners continue to see the value that our stores bring to their portfolio, but more importantly, to the neighborhoods they serve.”

Bush, DeLozier and Young have more than 60 years of combined experience in the Pet Supplies Plus franchise, and currently own and operate 49 store locations throughout Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, which employ nearly 800 people combined.

"Our confidence in the brand and the pet category as a whole grows every year," DeLozier said. "We love what we do, and we enjoy hiring team members and watching them grow their careers along with us. We're going to continue to grow our store count for as long as we're still serving our team members and our communities well – and still having fun doing it.”

DeLozier began his career with Pet Supplies Plus about 20 years ago after serving as retail store manager at Kroger. According to DeLozier, he was drawn to the franchise because of its grocery-store format and large offerings of pet food, products and services for small companion animals, including fish, reptiles and birds.

"We've always been attracted to the high-volume, low-margin and repeat sales being a reliable, local grocery store for the growing number of pet parents," DeLozier added. "Pet Supplies Plus has evolved tremendously with additional investment and advancements for technology, marketing and merchandising support. We're now a national chain that has intentionally kept its local neighborhood feel."

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