Pets now big business
New PetSmart outlet opening soon in Sydney
With a large sign already signalling its arrival, it’s no secret a big box pet store is getting closer to opening in Sydney.
What isn’t as clear is the effect the new PetSmart outlet, located in the Sydney Shopping Centre on Prince Street, will have on the local pet retail and service sector. Larry Burrell, the independent owner of River Pet Supplies in Sydney River, said he was not surprised to learn that the giant American retailer of pet supplies and services is setting up shop in the area.
“I understand that times change and I’m not upset about it, there’s nothing I can do, but I think these big box chain stores have killed small business around here,” said Burrell, whose small standalone shop is most certainly old school, with narrow aisles leading through well-stocked shelves that reach high toward the ceiling.
“And I blame the politicians for allowing those big box stores to set up in the first place — they take money out of the local economy and they kill off traditional stores that lots of people still like to visit.”
Like other large “super” stores, PetSmart places a heavy emphasis on the customer’s instore experience. Along with selling standard pet supplies like food and pet accessories, they also offer related services,
including pet grooming, training and adoption centres, the latter that the company claims has facilitated the adoption of more than 7,000,000 pets.
Independent dog groomer Brenda Matheson said she was approached by PetSmart to work for them in-store. However, the Sydney woman who operates Island Dog Groomers out of her Park Street home declined the offer.
“I don’t think they did their research very well — there are already lots of pet stores around here and when it comes to grooming, people want to take their pets to groomers they know and trust,” said Matheson.
“Look, I know where I live, I live in the midst of a declining population with a depressed economy with a lot of seniors on fixed incomes — these people deserve the best person in town for the least amount of money, they all love their animals.”
And that love of animals is, according to the dean of Cape Breton University’s Shannon School of Business, a factor in how people spend their money.
“In general, we’re seeing a trend toward these big stores and another big trend that is happening is that people are spending their money differently from year to year — spending money on pets was not a big priority a few years ago, but it is more so now,” said George Karaphillis, who added that another factor is that the pet care industry, including its lucrative food market, is not greatly affected by online shopping.
“So these trends are kind of working in their favour — PetSmart probably did their numbers and probably figured out there is potential in Cape Breton.”
And the pet market is big. The latest figures show that in 2014 Canadian were spending about $6.6-million annually on their furry, feathered and reptilian friends, while south of the border Americans spent more than $60-million on their pets in 2015.
The growth of stores like PetSmart reflects that trend. The Arizona-headquartered chain has grown to more than 1,500 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico since its modest beginnings in the late 1980s with a single store in Phoenix. The latest numbers show that the privately owned retailer had 2014 revenues of almost $7-billion, while earning a profit of about $420-million in the same year.
The Cape Breton Post asked the company for more details about the Sydney store, but the enquiry was referred to a Toronto-based public relations firm that told the newspaper the business would be opening in “summer 2017” and that on average new stores have “a staffing plan of 16-20 associates” and that the average store size is about 20,000-sq.-ft.
However, the Post has learned that the store could open as soon as next month and that at least some new employees have been hired and are presently training in Moncton.