The pet store brick-and-mortar sector, led by PetSmart, Petco, and Petsense, has faced fierce competition from online retailers, such as Chewy and Amazon, which have cut into retail sales and led to dozens of store closures.
Petco closed a net of 25 locations in 2024 and over two dozen more stores in 2025 as part of a restructuring and transformation of its chain, which has over 1,500 stores in the U.S., Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Tractor Supply Company’s Petsense pet store chain in July 2026 said that it would close 75 of its 208 locations that had “negative four-wall cash flow,” according to its second quarter earnings call statement.
PetSmart will close a location in Folsom, Calif., in November 2026 four months after closing a store in San Francisco.JHVEPhoto / Getty Images
PetSmart closes store in November
And now giant pet store chain PetSmart, with over 1,660 stores in North America, has joined the downsizing trend on a smaller scale, as it plans to close a Sacramento area location in November after shuttering its last San Francisco shop in July.
PetSmart will close its Folsom, Calif., store at the Broadstone Plaza I retail center at 2705 E. Bidwell St. on Nov. 22. The chain’s other Folsom location at 2375 Iron Point Road will remain open, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The company did not give a specific reason for closing the Folsom store.
Retailer has a nearby store
The Broadstone location sells food, bedding, and accessories for pets, as well as grooming and adoption services. The Iron Point store offers those services and more, including dog day care, veterinary care, and training.
“We remain committed to serving pet parents throughout the area, who will continue to have access to our nearby Folsom-Iron Point store, located about 1 mile away, as well as online shopping with convenient delivery options,” a PetSmart representative said.
The San Francisco PetSmart store closed because of a number of factors, the company said in an email to SFGate.
Company adapts to e-commerce growth
“As more customers choose online ordering, autoship, and same-day delivery, we’re continuing to adapt how we serve pet parents across the Bay Area,” PetSmart said.
However, PetSmart encouraged its customers to shop online for its products, which could open the door to customers seeking better deals from competitors.
Promotes online shopping
“We remain committed to serving pet parents throughout San Francisco, who will continue to have access to nearby PetSmart locations, including our Daly City store, as well as online shopping with convenient delivery options,” PetSmart said.
“We are expanding fulfillment capabilities at our Daly City location to help meet the needs of the community,” the company said in the message.
The San Francisco store offered a variety of services, in addition to its retail products, including dog and cat boarding, doggie day camp, and grooming.
“Consumers are still spending on their animals, but online retailers like Chewy are changing where those dollars go,” said bankruptcy and restructuring attorney Jonathan Shenson of Greenberg Glusker LLP.
“Routine purchases like food and litter no longer necessarily require a trip to the store. Traditional retailers like PetSmart are losing not just the recurring purchases, but also the opportunity to sell other products during that visit,” Shenson said in an email to TheStreet.
PetSmart is headquartered in Phoenix, where it opened its first two stores in 1987, according to its website. The privately owned company, which employs over 50,000 workers, was sold to private equity firm BC Partners for $8.7 billion in 2015.
Related: Disney seeks to buy Character AI assets in Chapter 11 bankruptcy