HAMPSTEAD — A national home improvement chain is getting into the pet game — beyond merely allowing customers to bring in their quadrupeds while shopping for garden supplies, plumbing needs or appliances.
In 2022, Lowe’s and Petco partnered up to offer in-store pet supplies, some outlets even providing vaccination clinics. The companies announced Friday Lowe’s at Surf City, located at 106 Wilkes Ln. in Hampstead, would become the only one in the tri-county region to become a pet retailer.
Starting Sunday, March 26, it will carry pet cleaning supplies, food and nutrition and health and wellness items, dog beds, dog doors and more. Popular Petco brands, such as WholeHearted, EveryYay, Youly, Leaps & Bounds and So Phresh, also will be stocked.
More than 260 locations nationwide are slated to have in-store Petco retail. Of those, 150 will be equipped with “Vetco” clinics, offering vaccinations, microchipping, prescription pest prevention, and mobile grooming.
The two companies paired up last year to launch 15 pilot store concepts. A survey conducted by Lowe’s showed that 67% of respondents found most find comfort in their pets, “while nearly half found that comfort in their homes,” a press release noted.
“For many of our customers, their pets and their homes top the list of things that matter most, especially after two years spent mostly together within the same four walls,” Bill Boltz, Lowe’s executive vice president of merchandising, said in the release. “This partnership enhances the total home solution we offer them by bringing home improvement and pet care products, services and expertise together under one roof.”
With an uptick in pet ownership taking place over the last few years — 11 million new pets entered U.S. homes since the start of the pandemic — Lowe’s decided an expansion of services would be beneficial to the company’s bottom line.
Based in Mooresville, North Carolina, Lowe’s fiscal year 2020 sales reached nearly $90 billion. It operates 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employs more than 300,000 associates.
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