June 1, 2023
Petco Unveils Complete Pet Care Experience at New Flagship in New York City
Petco has unveiled its new Union Square flagship, a unique one-stop health and wellness destination for pets, in the heart of New York City. This weekend, Petco will host a grand opening celebration and adoption event in partnership with Petco Love, including free pet-friendly activities, giveaways and adoptable pets.
Petco’s new two-story, 25,000 square-foot flagship pet care center combines the best of Petco’s physical and digital offerings, including a stylish grooming salon, full-service veterinary hospital, JustFoodForDogs kitchen, curated merchandise assortment and more for a complete pet care experience.
“We’re delighted to welcome pets and pet parents to this revolutionary flagship experience that embodies Petco’s fully integrated, omnichannel pet health and wellness ecosystem within a single pet care center,” said Justin Tichy, Chief Operating Officer at Petco. “Its distinctly New York design coupled with Petco’s highly differentiated pet care offering brings to life the humanization and premiumization trends shaping the pet space in a way no one else can replicate. Every element is designed to cultivate a seamless experience that nurtures the incredible bond between pets and pet parents, making it a top destination for pet parents worldwide to experience the best in pet health and wellness.”
Petco Union Square will house a full suite of experiences, products and services, tailored to the complete care of pets, including:
- “17th & Bark” – Affectionately named after the flagship’s cross-streets and inspired by the Union Square farmers market, this curated collection of premium goods for pets is unique to this Petco location. Vendors represent the diverse community of pet lovers from New York and across the US, including members of the local LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, women and maker and builder communities. The flagship will offer Hiro Clark’s first pet collection, pet and pet parent apparel from Andrea Cáceres, pet portraits from Ben Lenovitz, pet accessories from Lambwolf Collective and more.
- Vetco Total Care – This full-service veterinary hospital offers services ranging from wellness exams, vaccinations and microchipping to dental care, dermatology, surgeries and more.
- “Ruff’s Barker Shop” – Inspired by classic barbershops, this sleek and stylish salon is the perfect setting for dogs to enjoy premium grooming services tailored to their specific needs. There will also be a dog self-wash station for pet parents’ convenience.
- Reddy Shop – Pets and pet parents can try on the latest styles from Petco’s owned brand Reddy at a full-scale shop-in-shop, modeled after Reddy SoHo, complete with a lounge area, fitting station and customization zone where shoppers can personalize items from Petco Union Square’s entire assortment.
- Dog Training and Indoor Park – Pets can also practice positive reinforcement-based training methods designed to support their social, mental and physical health with Petco’s certified trainers at an indoor dog training park.
- Curated Merchandise Assortment – From designated companion animal and nutrition areas to the “Healthy Habits Hub” and dedicated dog and cat sections, the flagship will offer a variety of nutrition and supplies to support pets’ whole health, plus convenient ways to shop such as buy online, pick-up in-store self-serve lockers.
- JustFoodForDogs Kitchen – This in-store, state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen features trained chefs preparing small-batch, human-grade pet meals, formulated by veterinarians and made with fresh, whole food ingredients.
- Petco Love Adoptions – The flagship will offer year-round cat adoptions as well as other adoption events with local animal welfare partners of Petco Love. An on-site photobooth allows pet parents to capture the moment they welcome a new pet into their family.
Revolutionary Store Design
Inspired by lush green spaces revered by locals, Petco Union Square combines classic New York City design and architectural elements from various neighborhoods with trees and greenery that mimic Union Square Park to create a familiar, intimate destination and experience. The flagship brings the look and feel of the park and an open-air farmer’s market inside the landmark Tammany Hall building. Featuring exposed brick, herringbone wood floors and fixtures made with reclaimed materials, Petco Union Square is a hub for pets and pet parents to gather and connect with the community.
Grand Opening Celebrations
A weekend-long celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4. The family-friendly, free festivities will occur both inside the flagship and in the nearby Union Square Park. The weekend will feature in-store educational sessions, cooking demos at the JustFoodForDogs Kitchen, training workshops at the Reddy Dog Park, a New York City-themed agility course, photo opportunities, giveaways and more.
On Sunday, Petco will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. local time, followed by the “Paws in the Park” party and adoption event beginning at noon local time. Petco Love will bring together more than 20 local animal welfare partners, including Muddy Paws and Animal Care Centers of NYC, to help hundreds of adoptable pets find loving homes. Additionally, there will be a fashion show, presented by BOBS from Skechers, featuring adoptable pets. To help raise awareness for Petco Love’s lifesaving work, local artist Andrea Cáceres, who is also featured in the flagship’s “17th & Bark” collection, will design a custom mural to be displayed at the event.
“This adoption event will bring the community together with more than 400 New York pets of all shapes and sizes looking for loving homes,” said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. “When you enter the park, you will feel the excitement and anticipation, because by the end of the day, the lives of so many pets and people will change for the better. Pets bring people and communities together and this event is about filling NYC with unconditional pet love.”
As part of the grand opening, Petco will also unveil reimagined, modern versions of its beloved Ruff & Mews mascots with a takeover of the brand’s social channels and surprise New York pop-up appearances at key city attractions. Symbolizing the important role pets play as part of the family and as the visual heart and soul of the Petco brand, Ruff & Mews will be honorary guests at the Petco Union Square grand opening weekend.
In addition to the June 4 adoption event, Petco Love will return to the Petco Union Square flagship on Saturday, June 17 to host a kitten adoption event.
The new flagship is a planned relocation of Petco’s previous Union Square pet care center, which has been open at 860 Broadway since 1996 and closed on May 30. The new Petco Union Square is located at 44 Union Square on the corner of 17th and Park. It is now open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time. For more information, visit Petco or call (212) 895-9851.