Major pet store closing 75 locations nationwide, slowing expansion - Fox Business

What the report says

Fox Business reported that Tractor Supply plans to close about 75 underperforming Petsense by Tractor Supply stores nationwide as the rural lifestyle retailer reassesses that pet-store business and slows some expansion plans. The company disclosed the move in its latest earnings materials and discussed it on an earnings call. As of late June, Tractor Supply said it had 209 Petsense stores across 23 states.

According to the Fox Business account, CEO Hal Lawton said the stores selected for closure had negative “four-wall cash flow,” meaning their sales were not covering store-level costs such as rent, labor and inventory. Lawton said the closures are intended to improve returns, simplify operations and redirect resources toward higher-growth and higher-return parts of the company.

The report said Tractor Supply expects the remaining Petsense business to be stronger and more profitable after the closures, while continuing to fit into its broader pet-focused operations, including Allivet and VIP Petcare. Lawton also said the Petsense changes do not alter the company’s view of pet-product growth within its core Tractor Supply stores, which he described as separate from the Petsense issue.

Fox Business also reported that Tractor Supply is trimming its planned 2027 new-store openings to roughly 85 to 90 locations, down from a prior expectation of 100. CFO Kurt Barton said the Petsense repositioning is expected to create a healthier business that better complements Tractor Supply stores. The company plans to redeploy some funds toward initiatives such as Project Fusion remodels, which are aimed at improving existing stores.