Pet store giant closes another California store amid downsizing trend

America’s pet stores are having a ruff time.

With the rise of online retailers like Chewy, traditional pet super-stores are slowly shutting down, including several in California.

PetSmart will close its Sacramento location at 2705 E. Bidwell St on November 22, just months after shuttering its last San Francisco location in July. The chain will maintain another location about a mile away in Folsom.

“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 spokesperson told the Sacramento Bee.

The company did not give a reason for the Sacramento closure, but previously discussed their decision to leave the Bay Area, citing online retailers.

“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,” a PetSmart told SFGATE in July, ensuring customers “will continue to have access to nearby PetSmart locations, including our Daly City store, as well as online shopping with convenient delivery options.”

In addition to selling retail items, the San Francisco PetSmart location also offered dog and cat boarding, doggie day camp, and grooming services.

Following the closures, PetSmart will still maintain over 150 stores in California, and 1,600 stores in North America.

PetSmart opened its first stores in 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the company is still headquartered. The chain was sold to private equity firm BC Partners for $8.7 billion in 2015.

Online retailers have made it easier than ever for pet owners to pick up items for their furry friends.

“Consumers are still spending on their animals, but online retailers like Chewy are changing where those dollars go,” bankruptcy and restructuring attorney Jonathan Shenson of Greenberg Glusker LLP told TheStreet.

“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.”

PetSmart isn’t the only pet store giant closing locations.

Petco closed 25 stores in 2024 and two dozen more locations in 2025.In July of this year, Tractor Supply’s Petsense announced it would be closing 75 of its 208 locations, citing a “negative four-wall cash flow” in its second quarter earnings call.

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