Petco Competitors (13 Biggest Competitors)

Petco is one of the biggest and longest operating pet focused retailers in the country, but it still faces stiff competition.

Well, I looked into the companies that have a similar business model to Petco, and selected the most successful out of that group for this list of Petco’s biggest competitors, so keep reading to see what I discovered!

What Are Petco’s Competitors In [currentyear]?

Petco’s biggest competitors are Chewy and PetSmart in [currentyear]. Both Chewy and PetSmart have Petco beat in terms of annual revenue. PetSmart is Petco’s biggest competitor when it comes to pet retail stores, while Chewy is its biggest competitor online. Petco’s other competitors include large general product retailers that also carry pet products like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

Keep reading to learn all you need to know about Petco’s competitors, including a closer look into its biggest rival companies, the company’s revenue where available, and more!

1. PetSmart

PetSmart is arguably Petco’s biggest competitor, because they have very similar business models and are both leading companies in the pet retail segment.

PetSmart was founded more than 20 years after Petco, but has managed to grow faster, with higher revenues and more stores.

Petco’s latest reported revenue was $4.9 billion, whereas PetSmart’s was $7 billion.

PetSmart also has more stores than Petco. Petco has about 1,500 stores in the U.S., Mexico, and Puerto Rico, whereas PetSmart has that many stores in the U.S. alone.

Both companies have also been in direct competition with each other, specifically when both of them were placing bids for Chewy.

Each company wanted to add the online pet store to their business when it proved that it had grown strong enough.

Petco was proposing a deal that would be paid in part with stock, where it would take over Chewy, but PetSmart said it would pay in cash, and Chewy would remain as its own company.

In the end, PetSmart won, and the deal managed to make both PetSmart and Chewy higher earners than Petco.

PetSmart is also one of the few retailers that Petco will price match, both at its physical stores and website.

2. Chewy

Chewy was founded in 2011, over 45 years after Petco, but it has managed to grow into one of its biggest competitors, despite only being available online.

Petco has physical stores, as well as a website, but Chewy has managed to become one of its biggest competitors in the segment with just a website.

Chewy’s revenue is much higher than Petco’s, at $7 billion compared to $4.9 billion, and most of this growth has been experienced in the past few years.

Chewy also received a boost in funding when it was bought by PetSmart for $3.35 billion in April 2017. This helped the company grow to its current level as a serious competitor to Petco.

As a sign that Chewy is real competition, it’s one of the few online retailers that are price matched on Petco’s website.

3. Petland

Petland has fewer locations than Petco, with only 97 stores in the U.S., but it provides enough competition at the local level.

As for income, Petland has an estimated revenue of $2 billion, which is very large, considering how much smaller the company is than Petco.

Petland is also the only national pet focused retailer in the country that still gets its dogs from puppy mills, as opposed to fostering adoptions.

This is one of the revenue sources Petland has that Petco doesn’t.

Petco will likely price match Petland in its physical stores, but it will not do it when you’re shopping on the company website.

4. Pet Supplies Plus

Pet Supplies Plus has fewer stores than Petco, at around 560 locations. Despite this, the company has strong revenues that recently passed $1 billion.

You can get Pet Supplies Plus’ prices matched at Petco, but only at its physical stores instead of online.

The company was recently bought out for $700 million by Franchise Group, Inc., a holding company that runs different franchises.

Currently, we’re yet to see how this acquisition will affect the company’s status as competition for Petco.

5. Rover

Rover is a smaller company than Petco, but it presents competition in its pet services by offering the following:

  1. Boarding
  2. House sitting
  3. Dog walking
  4. Doggy day care
  5. Drop in visits

6. Bark

Bark focuses only on dogs, meaning it’s specialized enough to present serious competition to Petco in this segment.

Bark provides treats, food, toys and care services for dogs. As for the last one, the company focuses on dogs’ oral hygiene with dental chews.

7. Pet Valu

7. Pet Valu Petco

Pet Valu recently closed down its stores in the U.S., and now only has locations in Canada.

However, the company is still in competition for Petco, because Petco has been trying to snatch up Canadian pet owners.

Pet Valu offers accessories and supplies for most pet types, including dogs, cats, reptiles, fish and birds. It also has pet services like dog washes and grooming.

8. PetFlow

PetFlow focuses solely on delivery for pet food and treats. Its business model competes with Petco’s Repeat Delivery program, which also provides a similar service.

9. Pet Supermarket

Pet Supermarket is like a grocery store for pet supplies, with goods in stock for dogs, cats, fish, birds and reptiles.

Pet Supermarket has 200 stores across 12 states, and its estimated annual revenue is around $500 million.

10. Pets at Home

Pets at Home is a British retailer that largely has the same business model as Petco.

The company sells most of the same items, including live pets, as well as pet supplies and accessories like food, leashes, and more.

11. Amazon

Despite only being online, Amazon is one of Petco’s biggest competitors, because it sells pet supplies and accessories with a shipping network that goes across the world.

Amazon is such serious competition for Petco that it will match Amazon’s prices, as well as those from Wag.com, which is also owned by Amazon.

Petco’s $4.9 billion in revenue is very little when compared to Amazon’s hundreds of billions in regular annual income.

12. Walmart

As the biggest retailer in the world that also carries pet accessories and supplies, Walmart is one of Petco’s biggest competitors.

Walmart is one of the few retailers that Petco will price match, both in its physical stores and online to give the company a competitive edge.

Petco’s 1,500 stores are dwarfed by Walmart’s 10,500 stores in 24 countries. Walmart also stays ahead by having its own exclusive brands of pet supplies, just like Petco.

13. Target

With a little under 2,000 stores, Target roughly has the same presence as Petco, but its revenues that get close to $100 million are very far ahead.

This makes Target one of Petco’s biggest competitors for pet supplies and accessories, and it’s one of a small handful of retailers that Petco will price match, both online and in store.

To know more, you can also read our posts on what is Petco, Petco dress code, and Petco complaints.

Conclusion

Petco’s biggest competitors in the pet retail segment are PetSmart and Chewy. Both of them were founded later than Petco, but have revenues of $7 billion, compared to Petco’s that are a little under $5 billion.

Beyond pet focused retailers, Petco also competes with general stores that also carry pet supplies such as Walmart, Target, and Amazon. Petco will match most of its competitors in its stores, and the five companies mentioned in this section on its website as well.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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