Retailer Focus: Chewy

Trust, convenience and competitive prices all come together at Chewy. With approximately 3,200 brands (including their own private brands and prescription Rx food and Rx medication products) and 130,000 products and service offerings, Chewy offers a huge variety to meet pet parents’ needs. But the company has expanded well beyond dog food and cat toys.

Chewy offers a range of pet health services. They operate the No. 1 pet pharmacy in America. In 2020, they launched medication compounding capabilities within their pharmacy business and launched their telehealth service called “Connect with a Vet.” 2022 brought the launch of CarePlus, Chewy’s foray into insurance and wellness plans to help more pet owners have access to affordable, high-quality pet healthcare. In 2024, Chewy opened Chewy Vet Care, in-person veterinary clinics that provide everything from routine care to urgent care and surgery. 

“We partnered with hundreds of veterinarians and customers to design an in-practice and post-visit experience which we believe will be unlike anything in the market, and appreciated by both communities,” said Mita Malhotra, President, Chewy Health, in a statement. “Our practices contain thoughtfully designed spaces for the comfort and privacy of our customers and care team. Chewy Vet Care will be powered by our proprietary, easy-to-use modern technology to deliver a seamless and memorable experience, which we have delivered for over a decade in our core businesses. Expanding into veterinary care is the natural next step in Chewy’s evolution, and we are excited to bring our customer-forward thinking to our veterinarians and practice team.”

History

Timeline of Company Milestones at Chewy

Founded by Ryan Cohen and Michael Day in their twenties, Chewy was launched in 2011 with a vision to revolutionize the pet supply market with a wide selection of products and around-the-clock e-commerce convenience.

The founders started Chewy with their own funds and small loans. In September 2013, Larry Cheng at Volition Capital invested $15 million into the company to help them grow. In 2017, PetSmart bought Chewy for $3.35 billion. This allowed the company to go public and grow larger. Today, the company is made up of 18,000 employees. Chewy is both a website and an app with a personalized “Pet Profile” that allows customers to save previous purchases and get recommendations. 

While Chewy has been focused on the U.S., in 2023, they brought the same delivery experience and quality brands to Canada, and the 63 percent of households that own pets.

Properties 

Chewy leases properties across North America to support their operations. Sixteen fulfillment centers receive products from vendors, ship products to customers, and receive/process returns. The strategic location of their fulfillment centers lets them ship to more than 80 percent of the U.S. population overnight and almost 100 percent in two days. Chewy’s corporate offices include co-headquarters in Plantation, FL and Boston, MA. Their three customer service centers respond to customer inquiries around the clock, 365 days per year. Chewy’s vet clinics provide pet health services including routine appointments, urgent care, and surgery. 

Customer-centricity 

Even though Chewy has grown enormously, it is the small, personalized ways that the company connects with its customers that keep loyalty high. Whether it’s surprising them with a hand-painted portrait or sending a handwritten sympathy card to a family who has lost a pet, Chewy remains high touch.

Chewy’s customer focus has made it easy for pet parents to shift from in-store to online. According to online media sources, about half of all pet parents purchased pet products online in 2024, and 40 percent increased their online buying. Millennials and Gen Z are driving much of the online growth, with millennials leading the way in pet ownership, accounting for 30 percent.

With 24/7 customer support and smart autoship and subscription purchasing that uses data to predict when customers need to order, Chewy is a master at making things simpler for their customers. Their annual report states that subscription-based purchasing for pet food was up 22 percent from January 2023 to 2024.

Leadership 

Sumit Singh has been the CEO of Chewy since March 2018. He also serves on Chewy’s Board of Directors. He led the company through its IPO in 2019, raising more than $1 billion in the process, and took the business international in 2023. 

His accolades and award list run long, but to name a few: Business Journal’s Power Leaders 250, Comparably’s Best CEOs for Women 2023, NRF Foundation’s List of People Shaping Retail’s Future 2022, and the Youngest CEOs of the Fortune 500 in 2022. And yet Singh is known for taking the time to personally respond to customer emails. But the answer to one question everyone seems to ask is yes, he does have a pet, a Shih Tzu named D.

Under Singh’s leadership, Chewy has grown to $11 billion in 2023, more than tripling in size since 2018. A Fortune 500 company, Chewy has ranked as the top overall brand on the Forrester U.S. Customer Experience Index for multiple consecutive years (2021-2024). 

“We are delivering the scale and convenience of e-commerce, but with the same high-touch, personalized service you should expect of the best local neighborhood pet store,” shared Singh on Chewy’s website.

Recent News

In October 2025, Chewy announced that they acquired SmartEquine, which expands their leadership in the equine health category. A leading U.S. provider of equine health products, SmartEquine is recognized for its proprietary subscription-based supplement programs, personalized nutrition plans, and broad portfolio of tack, gear, and therapeutic products designed to meet the needs of horses and their riders.

“We are thrilled to welcome SmartEquine to Chewy,” said Mita Malhotra, President, Chewy Health, in a statement. “Together, we’ll bring even greater expertise, convenience, and care as a trusted destination for the equine community.”

Last fall, Chewy launched “Get Real,” a new line of healthy, fresh food for dogs. The minimally processed, fresh dog food will be available only at Chewy. Consumer demand for fresh dog food has only increased, driven largely by pet humanization and wellness trends. According to online media sources, the global fresh pet food market, valued at around $13.8 billion in 2024, is projected to grow substantially, with some forecasts placing the U.S. fresh segment’s CAGR at more than 21 percent through 2029.

Created by certified pet nutritionists, Get Real by Chewy features human-grade recipes with real meat, fruit and veggies. The food is cooked to retain nutrients and then frozen to lock in freshness. It currently comes in three different flavors, including chicken and brussels sprouts, beef and sweet potato and turkey and cranberry—all available as both full meals and meal toppers, made with 10 or fewer ingredients plus vitamins and minerals.

“We are proud to offer Get Real, making fresh food easy for pet parents and delicious for pets,” said Orlena Yeung, Chief Brand Officer at Chewy, in a press release. “Backed by our signature customer care, we are excited for dogs across the country to enjoy this new premium offering.”

Fiscally, Chewy demonstrates it has achieved its mission as a trusted destination for pet parents and partners everywhere. Chewy released its third quarter 2025 financial results that showed net sales of $3.12 billion—an increase of 8.3 percent year over year, with $578 net sales per active customer as of data collected in 2024.

Chewy’s robust retail, healthcare, and services show how the company’s growth isn’t just about selling products but about building strong relationships with pet parents.