Bye Bye Drs Foster and Smith

[albano]

Full statement from Petco:

"Petco today announced that we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close the Drs. Foster and Smith (DFS) business based in Rhinelander, Wis., on February 12, 2019. Taking into account the needs of modern pet parents, shifting consumer preferences and the ongoing evolution of the Petco brand, we believe this will enable us to streamline operations and better focus on our core business and customer. This change affects 289 employees, with their last days of employment varying over the next 60 to 120 days - all have been notified and will be provided severance and transition support. This decision has not been an easy one, nor has it been made lightly, and we appreciate that it has a very real effect on both individuals and the broader community in Rhinelander. In an effort to help, we?re committed to working with local officials to provide ample outplacement programming for those impacted starting in February. We greatly appreciate all of our partners for their dedicated service and contributions to Drs. Foster and Smith and to Petco."

 

[NL146]

Wow! That was 4 short years.

 

[saltykid85]

Not that I have shopped at pet companies, but for sure never will.
Those big box stores cater to the puppy mills, not specialty animals with any need for real knowledge

 

[aaron23]

Wow dr foster and Smith was great I can?t believe they are closing it

 

[aaron23]

Is live aquaria considered a separate entity? Or is it included in this?

 

[albano]

From the reports that I've read, it looks like LIve Aquaria and Divers Den will still be around (for now)



"Parent company Petco announced Wednesday that it will permanently close all operations in Rhinelander, except for its 'Live Aquaria' business. Drs. Foster and Smith is America's largest catalog and online seller of pet supplies."

 

[nanoreefer22]

Is live aquaria considered a separate entity? Or is it included in this?

Pretty sure they are included

 

[marrone]

Well the fish that aren't in the Diver Den ship out of California, so they could leave Live Aquaria open and just have the administration part out of California instead of WI or combine it with their current PetCo administration, as they do sell live fish through their website.

The Diver Den is in WI, but does it make enough to keep it running long term?

I think we also need to remember that Dr Foster & Smith does a lot more than fish, which is probably a duplication of services between the two and it probably can be handled just by PetCo current operations instead of having a separate office in WI.

 

[Reef Reaper]

very sad!

 

[ReefWreak]

They originally said they purchased Drs. Foster Smith for the mail-order pet medication business. Now they've integrated it into their main platforms, and they're dissolving what was already duplicated by their own website.

I'm just relieved that they specified they would leave LiveAquaria out of the closure. I wonder if they'll ultimately integrate LiveAquaria into their main website (and stores) even more, and dissolve the branding that LiveAquaria has built up. That would be a big waste of buying a sought-after brand name.

 

[marrone]

I wouldn't be surprise if the fish that the sell on PetCo website come from the same place that LA is using in California. In would be wise for them to leave LA up, or at least hang onto the name, but you really don't know what they're making from it and if in the long run is it worthwhile to keep going.

 

[nybb1001]

Wo, too sad to hear, used to be my go to place for any pet supplies, before they were sold to petco and started to charge taxes in NY.

 

[b-ridge]

Good news is you can apply discount code to map items

 

[saltykid85]

Good news is you can apply discount code to map items

You sure? I tried, wouldn?t allow me

 

[Fishtankfrank]

I didn?t know petco owned liveaquaria. It?s funny because they were one of the first really vouched for coral websites I had seen when I started in 2012. Now there?s so much competition for them. They have to be hurting too

 

[Reef Reaper]

I am glad I didn?t switch over to their salt!!

 

[atorres53]

I am glad I didn?t switch over to their salt!!

I think their salt is the same as Fritz reef Pro.

 

[Timbo]

Spoke to a live aquaria rep today and she said they are moving them to the coral propegation facility and will ?remain open and will not be affected by the closing of the Wisconsin facility.? Sounds like this is what they have been told but doesn?t sound like they have much faith in this statement. She was super nice and very thankful for my concern and was super appreciative toward me as a customer.

 

[pecan2phat]

There's a guy on R2R that bought 6 Radions before they figured it out and nixed the coupon code, he saved close to $600!

 

[pecan2phat]

IMO, Live Aquaria stock has gone downhill for several years now. Even the Diver's Den product is hit or miss lately.