() is a leading chain of retail stores doing business in the
United States and
Canada engaged in the sale of
Pet Supplies and services such as
Grooming and
Dog Training . PetSmart also offers
Veterinary services, provided by
Banfield, The Pet Hospital , which leases out space in each store. Technically, in full, the company's name is the '''PetSmart Store Support Group, Inc.''' They are based in
Phoenix, Arizona .
PetSmart was founded in
1986 under the trade name Pacific Coast Distributing, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, and opened its first Pet Food Warehouse stores in the Phoenix area the following year. In
1988 , the stores' names were changed to PetSmart. Through several mergers and acquisitions, PetSmart expanded in the early- and mid-1990's across the U.S. and into Canada, and entered online retailing through a partnership with
Idealab in
1999 (which later became a wholly-owned subsidiary of PetSmart).
Top Paw is a line of products, including collars and leashes, that is manufactured for Pacific Coast Distributing, Inc. (now PetSmart) by
Coastal Pet Products Inc. PetSmart also owns several brands of dog food, including Authority and Award. Top Fin is a line of fish products, including fish tanks, food, nets, filters, aquarium lights, and other aquarium products.
In
August 2005 , the company announced that it would alter its name from PETsMART to PetSmart over a period of time. This move is designed to emphasize its evolution from a pet supply store to a service-oriented company
{Link without Title} . (It would also allow PetSmart to further distinguish itself from its main competitor, PETCO, which uses all capital letters in its name.)
The company directly competes with
PETCO and several other smaller pet chains.
As of the end of the
2004 Fiscal Year, PetSmart operated approximately 726 stores.
