LIVONIA, Mich. — Pet Supplies Plus, a pet retail chain operating across the US, has signed 22 new franchise agreements in the first half of 2019, which will add 46 new locations for the retailer. The new Pet Supplies Plus stores will be opened in Texas, Florida, California, Michigan, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

"We consistently add 30 stores a year, in part because franchise candidates know our tagline, 'Minus the hassle,' also refers to our franchise opportunity," said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus. "We 'minus the hassle' out of business ownership and handle the back-office duties like merchandising, marketing, supply chain, promotions, pricing and managing social media, allowing our franchisees to focus on what they love to do — engaging with neighbors (a term Pet Supplies Plus uses for customers) and building strong store teams."

The agreements were signed with franchisees from a variety of backgrounds, according to the retailer, including former corporate employees, military veterans, entrepreneurs and one independent pet store owner, Steve Murphy, looking to convert his pet store into a Pet Supplies Plus.

Murphy owns Pet N’ More in Palm Harbor, Florida and the second independent store owner to convert to a Pet Supplies Plus format, said the retailer. The first independent store owners to successfully convert were Bill and Sharon Hannon from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, who increased annual sales by 23% after integrating their business into a Pet Supplies Plus.

Additionally, four franchise brokers signed franchise agreements as well.

"The franchise broker community has shown interest and made personal investments in our brand, and that speaks volumes to the credibility of the Pet Supplies Plus franchise offer, corporate support provided and systems we've set in place to ensure success in the pet retail industry," Rowland said.

Six of the signed agreements were existing franchisees with hopes to expand to more locations.

Overall, Pet Supplies Plus has 460 stores across 33 US states. The retailer hopes to add four more store locations by the end of 2019, bringing it to 50 additional locations for the year.

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