When a business shows consistent strong performance and its owners are having fun, the logical strategy is to continue growing. That’s the philosophy of pet-passionate, entrepreneurial business partners Aaron Young, Chad Bush and Doug DeLozier, who collectively have over 60 years of PSP experience and own and operate 49 Pet Supplies Plus stores across Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Texas.
Operating as US Retail Holdings, DeLozier, Young and Bush recently signed on to add 20 Pet Supplies Plus stores to their portfolio over the next five years. The majority of new stores will be scattered across Tennessee and Texas with store 50 opening this summer. Collectively, the group’s stores employ nearly 800 team members, including local and district managers who help maintain the neighborhood experience that fuels the brand’s reputation in communities nationwide.
“Our confidence in the brand and the pet category as a whole grows every year,” DeLozier said. “We love what we do, and we enjoy hiring team members and watching them grow their careers along with us. We’re going to continue to grow our store count for as long as we’re still serving our team members and our communities well – and still having fun doing it,” he said.
DeLozier’s journey with Pet Supplies Plus goes back over two decades. After nearly 12 years as a retail store manager with Kroger who was sent around the country to improve store performance, he naturally got the bug to own his own business. As a pet lover, he was drawn to Pet Supplies Plus, with its grocery style format of foods, products and select services for all types of furry, scaly and feathery friends, including live fish and small pets (no dog or cat).
After working for a Pet Supplies Plus franchisee, he purchased his two initial stores in 2002 and partnered up with Aaron and Chad in future years. He and his business partners gradually began to build an infrastructure that allowed them to scale, with a shared goal of providing the highest quality products and services across all their stores.
“We’ve always been attracted to the high-volume, low-margin and repeat sales being a reliable, local grocery store for the growing number of pet parents,” DeLozier said. “Pet Supplies Plus has evolved tremendously with additional investment and advancements for technology, marketing and merchandising support. We’re now a national chain that has intentionally kept its local neighborhood feel.”
“We are the largest chain of independently owned and operated pet stores because our franchisees know the power of pairing local retail with best-in-class infrastructures and home office support,” said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus. “We’re honored that our largest franchise partners continue to see the value that our stores bring to their portfolio, but more importantly, to the neighborhoods they serve.
