Chewy.com expanding its Dania location

New owner PetSmart behind move

Online pet supply company Chewy.com won’t be moving its headquarters out of South Florida any time soon.

The company, purchased last spring by PetSmart for a reported $3.35 billion, has leased an additional 27,200 square feet of space at the Design Center of the Americas in Dania Beach, according to a news release by Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation, affiliate of the building’s owner, developer Charles S. Cohen.

The lease, described as a “long-term” transaction, brings Chewy’s total square footage at the center to 100,000, the release said.

Terms were not disclosed. The asking rental rate at the center’s “B” Building at 1855 Griffin Road was $36 a square foot, the release said.

The Design Center of the Americas is on 30 acres along Interstate 95, just south of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Asked how Chewy plans to use the additional space, the company issued a brief statement that did not specifically answer the question.

“This is an exciting time for Chewy,” Sumit Singh, chief operating officer, said in the statement. “We are pleased to expand our headquarter offices in the DCOTA building in South Florida to accommodate our fast-paced growth, and to provide a great experience to our growing team, which is over 6,000 members strong nationwide.”

In early August, the company said it planned this fall to relocate its customer service function from its headquarters at the Design Center to the Hollywood Hills Plaza at Park Road and Hollywood Boulevard. With 1,100 employees at the new facility, the company would become Hollywood’s largest employer, the city’s mayor said.

An occupation date for the new site has not yet been confirmed, Chewy spokeswoman Roxsanne Tai said Tuesday. In August, the company said it hoped to move in by October or November.

Chewy.com was founded in 2011 by Ryan Cohen and Michael Day after meeting in an online chat room about computer programming. Starting with three employees selling 2,500 products, the company brought in $26 million in its first year, and by 2015, was leasing 70,000 square feet in the Design Center of the Americas.

The company grew quickly, attracting loyal consumers enamored with its competitive pricing, low shipping rates, and quirky personal touches such as sending thank you notes and hand-drawn paintings of customers’ pets.

rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com