Petco

Petco Animal Supplies, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Retail
Genre	Pet store
Founded	1965; 52 years ago (1965)
Headquarters	San Diego, California, U.S.
Number of locations	1,400
Products	Pet supplies, Live animals
Owner	CVC Capital Partners CPP Investment Board
Website	http://about.petco.com/

Petco Animal Supplies, Inc., or simply Petco, is a privately held pet retailer in the United States, with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet products and services, as well as certain types of live animals. Petco sells and holds fish, reptiles, small birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, and mice for adoption. Pet services include grooming and dog training. The company also owns the naming rights to the Petco Park baseball stadium, which is home of the San Diego Padres.

As of 2014, the company operates more than 1,300 locations across the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, including more than 100 Unleashed by Petco locations, which is a smaller-format neighborhood brand-launched, spa services, and an online shopping destination at petco.com.

"Think Adoption First" is a company philosophy and program, which encourages pet adoption rather than the purchase of companion animals whenever possible. Petco was criticized when they were selling large exotic birds in their shops. In 2005, they signed an agreement with PETA to end the sale of large birds. Petco has never sold dogs or cats, and in 2008, the company stopped selling rabbits as well.

The company was founded in 1965 as a mail-order business selling veterinary supplies. The company was acquired in 2000 by Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital. In November 2015, CVC Capital Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board agreed to acquire Petco in a deal worth $4.6 billion. The move followed failed talks between Petco and PetSmart over a merger.

In 2004, Petco bought the naming rights to San Diego's then-new downtown baseball stadium, making it Petco Park. The company agreed to pay the San Diego Padres about $60 million over a period of 22 years. At the time, it was one of the highest prices paid for naming rights to a baseball park.

Jim Myers has been the chairman and CEO of the company since 2004. He has been with Petco since 1990. In 2016, he announced he will retire on February 1, 2017. His successor will be company president and chief merchant Brad Weston.