Faithful Friends (TV show)
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| Corporation | |
| Industry | Pet supplies |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Rhinelander, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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Key people
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Dr. Marty Smith D.V.M., Dr. Race Foster, D.V.M. |
| Revenue | US$250,000,000 (2008) |
| Owner | Petco |
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Number of employees
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550 (2006) |
| Website | www |
Foster & Smith, Inc. is an American mail order and e-commerce pet supply corporation based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The company funds PetEducation.com, a "resource for any pet owner who is seeking information."
Founded in 1983 by veterinarians Race Foster, Rory Foster, and Marty Smith, the company has experienced rapid growth, expanding from 2 employees and $30,000 in sales in 1983 to over 550 employees and $250 million of sales in 2008. The company's first catalog was a 16-page, two-color production selling canine medications. As the company grew, toys, pet furniture, and other products were added. Feline and equine products were added in 1988. The Drs. Foster & Smith line of products launched in 1993 includes products ranging from company formulated brands of cat and dog food to medications and pet furniture.
In 1998, the company began taking orders online at DrsFosterSmith.com. Online business grew after the collapse of Pets.com in 2000. A series of mergers in the early 2000s added aquarium, bird, ferret, and other specialty products to the company's catalogs. In 2008, Animal Planet gave Race Foster and Marty Smith a weekly television program, Doctors Foster and Smith's Faithful Friends, to provide veterinary advice on pet care.
Located in Rhinelander, Wisconsin Doctors Foster and Smith is a pet supplies company. As of 2008, annual sales were estimated at $250 million, while the company was estimated to employ 550 as of 2006. Through 2003, the company had turned a profit every year of its existence (newer figures not available). It is one of the largest employers in Rhinelander.
Drs. Foster and Smith primarily does business through their website, which attracts 1 million unique visitors a month and generates annual sales of $125 million (as of 2007), and through mail order catalogs, which are mailed to over 50 million addresses annually (as of 2006). A small amount of additional sales come through online comparison shopping sites Froogle and Yahoo! Shopping. The company occasionally uses eBay to sell off discontinued merchandise. In 2007, Foster & Smith began selling pet food and furniture through Target retail locations.
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Wikipedia