PET VALU'S MONCTON LOCATION NEAR MAIN STREET. IMAGE: FACEBOOK
Pet Valu will be setting up shop at two new locations in the Moncton area this spring and fall.
Pet Valu’s Tim Francoeur confirmed plans to open a franchise in Riverview on May 27 and a corporate store in Shediac on September 9.
Francoeur said plans are in the works to hire around seven employees at first, with the goal to have between eight and 12 employees after “building a relationship with the community” within a year or two of opening.
“We know it takes time to build what is, in some cases, a new brand, so we want to build momentum,” he said.
The new locations in Shediac and Riverview, which will be rented from landlords Francoeur did not identify, will be about 3,500-4,000-square-feet, what he described as the standard footprint for the chain’s retail locations.
Pet Valu has more than 30 franchises and corporate-owned stores across New Brunswick–including two locations in Moncton–and more than 600 locations across Canada.
Francoeur, whose jurisdiction covers stores from Windsor, Ontario east to Newfoundland, said Pet Valu considers many factors before opening a store, with a primary concern being the results of community-based marketing studies.
“A lot of our stores are in smaller towns and communities,” said Francoeur, referring to a recently-opened Pet Valu in Campbellton’s Sugarloaf Mall on December 13.
Francoeur said it takes about three months to prep a location to accommodate a Pet Valu.
While Francoeur didn’t name the contractor responsible for the Shediac fit-up, Avant Garde Construction and Management, of Dieppe, announced in April that it’s doing the fit-up work for the Riverview location.
Pet Valu became one of North America’s largest pet food and accessory chains after its 2016 merger with Florida-based Pet Supermarket. Its main competition is from other larger chains like Global Pet Foods, PetSmart, and Ren’s Pets.
Francoeur said Pet Valu’s “boutique” approach gives it an edge over the competition, offering not only products but pet care advice – and in the case of some of its stores, adoption services in partnership with local shelters.
“We consider ourselves to be boutique, as we maintain a high level of service, with knowledgeable staff, who can engage in meaningful conversations with devoted pet lovers and stay connected to the community, with the right amount of employees at the store,” he said.
Pet Valu bills itself as Canada’s leading pet food and accessory retailer. It was founded in 1976, in Markham, Ontario, where the company is still headquartered.
Sam Macdonald is a Reporter for Huddle Today, a content sharing partner of Acadia Broadcasting.
