SAN DIEGO and NEW YORK — On June 1, Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. debuted its new flagship pet care center in New York City. The location features a grooming salon, veterinary hospital, JustFoodForDogs kitchen, an assortment of Petco merchandise and more to offer pet parents a “complete pet care experience,” according to the retailer.
Petco’s new Union Square location consists of two stories, spanning 25,000 square feet of products and services and serving as a one-stop shop for pet owners.
“We're delighted to welcome pets and pet parents to this revolutionary flagship experience that embodies Petco’s fully integrated, omnichannel pet health and wellness ecosystem within a single pet care center,” said Justin Tichy, chief operating officer at Petco. “Its distinctly New York design coupled with Petco’s highly differentiated pet care offering brings to life the humanization and premiumization trends shaping the pet space in a way no one else can replicate. Every element is designed to cultivate a seamless experience that nurtures the incredible bond between pets and pet parents, making it a top destination for pet parents worldwide to experience the best in pet health and wellness.”
The location offers a state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen for the JustFoodForDogs brand. The kitchen features trained chefs preparing human-grade pet food in small batches. The formulas are developed by veterinarians and are formulated with fresh, whole foods.
“As the pioneers in fresh pet food, we are thrilled to open another one of our innovative kitchens inside Petco,” said Julian Mack, chief executive officer of JustFoodForDogs. “We're excited to be a part of its new home and we can't wait to celebrate with the rest of the neighborhood.”
Similar to JustFoodForDogs’ other 12 locations throughout the United States, the new kitchen inside the Petco store consists of in-house cooks hand-preparing dog food formulas. Nutritional consultants from JustFoodForDogs and staff from Petco will be on-site at the kitchen to advise pet parents on which nutritional formulas suit their dogs.
Alongside the pet food kitchen, the location also includes a collection of premium pet products, called 17th & Bark; veterinary hospital Vetco Total Care; Ruff’s Barker Shop, a grooming salon inspired by barbershops; and Reddy Shop. It also offers dog training and adoption services and features an indoor pet park.
To celebrate the new location, Petco hosted a grand-opening celebration on June 3 and 4. The celebration featured festivities, in-store educational sessions, pet food cooking demonstrations, training workshops and more. On June 4, the retailer cut the ribbon on the new flagship store and hosted a Petco Love adoption event supported by more than 20 local animal welfare organizations, including Muddy Paws and Animal Care Centers of NYC.
“This adoption event brought the community together with more than 400 New York pets of all shapes and sizes looking for loving homes,” said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love. “When you enter the park, you will feel the excitement and anticipation, because by the end of the day, the lives of so many pets and people will change for the better. Pets bring people and communities together and this event is about filling NYC with unconditional pet love.”
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