Livonia, Mich. — Entrepreneurial business partners Aaron Young, Chad Bush and Doug DeLozier, who collectively own and operate 49 Pet Supplies Plus stores across Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Texas, recently signed on to add 20 Pet Supplies Plus stores to their portfolio over the next 5 years.
Operating as US Retail Holdings, DeLozier, Young and Bush will open the majority of new stores 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,” says DeLozier. “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.”
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.
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,” says DeLozier. “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.”
Pet Supplies Plus, a subsidiary of Franchise Group, Inc., has over 600 locations in 39 states. For more information, visit www.petsuppliesplusfranchising.com.
SOURCE: Pet Supplies Plus