BUSINESS - American Kennel Club Opening Retail Centre In New York City

Manhattan will be the home of the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) first retail store and dog-care centre.

The 4,000 square foot facility will offer day care, boarding, training, grooming and walking services along with retail sales, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The dog-care centre will be located at Via 57West, on West 57^th Street, a luxury residential building with 45,000 square feet of retail space.

“We are experienced people with lifetimes involved with the care and showing and exhibiting of dogs,” Dennis Sprung, AKC’s chief executive, told the Wall Street Journal. “We bring that knowledge and experience to the table, and now we are just applying it to brick and mortar.”

As the United States’ registry for purebred dog pedigrees and promoter of sanctioned purebred dog events, the AKC has seen first-hand the devotion Americans have towards their pets – and the resources they commit to them – making this move into the pet retail business make financial sense.

According to the American Pet Products Association, of the $60.6 billion pet owners spent on their pets in 2015, an estimated $5.24 billion went toward grooming and boarding services.

The AKC plans to open more dog-care centres in other major cities.