BUSINESS - Petco Acquires PetCoach

Petco recently announced that it acquired PetCoach, a digital services company that connects pet parents with veterinary professionals, trainers and other experts for free personalized answers and advice.

This follows the acquisition of pet supplies and pet medicine e-retailer Drs. Foster & Smith in 2014.

Both purchases show the importance of online retail and services for brick and mortar stores like Petco.

Some may find the PetCoach acquisition puzzling for a profit-based organization that is focused on the bottom line.

But one thing recent corporate acquisitions has demonstrated is the importance of elements like an online subscriber base and social innovation.

Providing pet owners answers to the medical and behaviour questions they may have helps build relationships and customer loyalty - something that is extremely valuable in today’s digital world.

"Nurturing powerful relationships for better lives together is at the heart of all we do," said Petco CEO, Brad Weston.

"As we continue evolving our value proposition – helping pet owners wherever and however they want to improve the health and well-being of their pet -- we believe that an entrepreneurial and digital leader of Brock's caliber will help Petco exceed the ever-changing digital expectations of the modern pet parent."

As part of the acquisition, Brock Weatherup, PetCoach co-founder and CEO, joins the national pet specialty retailer as Executive Vice President, Strategic Innovation & Digital Experience.

In this new role, Weatherup will be responsible for driving Petco's growth through innovation and enterprise-wide, consumer-focused digital initiatives.

"We are thrilled to be joining a talented team and a leading company like Petco. Connecting even more pet parents and their pets to the personalized tools, resources, veterinarian advice and products they need is exciting," said Weatherup.

"Having had the opportunity to lead and build several startups, we are ready to bring the speed, innovation, competitiveness and scrappiness of entrepreneurialism to Petco, while leveraging their scale, infrastructure, resources and strong brand."

Petcoach reportedly has more than 150,000 unique monthly visitors and receives several thousand health questions each month.

 

PetLynx Retains Company Administrator

Calgary, Alberta, March 31, 2016

PetLynx Corporation is pleased to announce the engagement of Andrea Parkins (nee Evans) to provide professional services as Administrator of the company.

Andrea played an important role in the early history of PetLynx Corporation. From the early development of the utility to the launch of commercial services in October 2008, Andrea acted as Executive Assistant to the President and provided administrative services to the PetLynx team.

In November 2008, Andrea was recruited to Executive Assistant of the Vice President of RGO Office Products and also supported the in-house sales team of Calgary’s largest supplier of office products.

In 2011, Andrea was recruited for the dual role of Executive Assistant and Investor Relations Specialist at Viterra Inc., Canada’s largest handler of agricultural commodities. This important role supported the investment and acquisition strategies which lead to the eventual sale of Viterra for $6.1-billion by Glencore International in early 2013.

In January 2012, Andrea relocated to Sydney, Australia with her husband Brent as he completed a postgraduate Degree in Dental Medicine. Shortly after arriving in Sydney, Andrea secured a role with William Buck, a national mid-tier accounting firm. At William Buck Andrea delivered Executive Assistance for the Directors and team that delivered specialized Tax Services to prominent Australian companies.

Earlier this year Andrea returned to Canada with Brent as he entered Dental practice in western Canada. Andrea intends to leverage her broad career experience as an Executive Assistant by delivering contractual services to emerging companies. Her contract with PetLynx Corporation provides professional services as Administrator. Andrea will manage all aspects of administration and report directly to the Managing Director and Board of Directors.

“Leveraging Andrea’s detail oriented approach and tenacity as well as her experience in corporate governance, corporate administration, investor relations and acquisitions will shore up our management strength in this important area”, said Thomas R. Trifaux. “As the merger/acquisition project develops, this will be an important addition to support our activities”.

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About PetLynx Corporation:

PetLynx Corporation is a Distributing Alberta Corporation and Non-reporting Issuer. PetLynx owns a world class information utility that presently serves urban municipalities.

PetLynx owns HomeSafe™ the world's only animal registry featuring customer owned/managed online records and the best/only automated return to owner (RTO) service. PetLynx also owns Urban Animal™ the first Episodic Digital Marketing Service that complies with PIPEDA, FOIP, Anti-Spam and other Consumer Privacy legislation. PetLynx expects to reach 50-60% of the households in North America by leveraging the human animal bond. PetLynx grows its subscriber base by enriching the lives of animal owners with services they need.

The PetLynx utility is a proven game changer that has registered 10% of the Canadian market. This PetLynx achievement arose from being the first to exploit 'cloud computing' strategies which allowed animal owners to access and manage their information with any wired or wireless Internet device. PetLynx is now the largest, fastest growing and most recognizable pet service brand in Canada.

PetLynx... Investing to enrich the experience of people and animals in urban communities™

Pet Supplies Plus Expanding Brand

Partnering with Franchise America Finance, Pet Supplies Plus will be making $15 million USD available to franchise candidates. America Finance specializes in debt and equity placement. It will be offering Pet Supplies Plus franchise candidates and current franchise owners financing solutions. Pet Supplies Plus will use this money to grow their brand in several American cities. Franchise

Pet Supplies Plus Vice President of Franchising, Alex Roberts said, “We are honored to work with the well-respected team at Franchise America Finance as we continue to grow the Pet Supplies Plus franchise into new territories and expand our presence in current markets. The partnership with FAF will help qualified candidates accelerate the ownership process to get their stores open quicker.”

Pet Supplies Plus opened 30 stores in 2014 and plans on expanding with 17 new franchisees in 2015. Roberts said, “In addition to this recent partnership, our team has continued to build a strong business model for franchisees including increased support from our corporate headquarters, an optimized distribution process and a prototype designed for maximum unit-level economics.”

   

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