PetPeople

What PetPeople does

PetPeople is a privately held neighborhood specialty pet retailer founded in 2000 and headquartered in Worthington, Ohio, operating with between 251 and 500 employees. The company positions itself as a community-oriented destination for natural pet foods and quality supplies for dogs and cats, serving pet owners seeking a curated, neighborhood-store alternative to mass-market pet retail. Its short-description explicitly markets the format as 'the neighborhood place for natural foods and quality supplies for dogs and cats,' indicating a deliberate differentiation against large-format national chains on curation, locality, and product mix rather than on price or SKU breadth.

In September 2017, PetPeople received a growth investment from TA Associates, a private equity firm, providing institutional capital to support the company's expansion. Leadership currently comprises Carrie McDermott as Chief Executive Officer, Trish Elkind as co-founder, and Valara Gee as VP of Stores and Operations, indicating a founder-aligned management team with dedicated operational leadership at the store level. The presence of a VP of Stores and Operations suggests an organizational structure designed for multi-unit retail execution.

A data quality note: the aggregated input dataset contains extensive structured operational content — including product catalogs, service descriptions, multi-state geographic footprint, and detailed operations — that explicitly references 'Hollywood Feed,' a separate Memphis-based pet retailer founded in 1950. This operational content has not been attributed to PetPeople in this analysis. PetPeople-specific operational evidence is therefore limited to firmographic attributes, the 2017 funding event, and leadership composition, which constrains the depth of any conclusions about store count, product mix, digital capabilities, or unit economics.

Name

PetPeople

Legal name

Hollywood Feed

Website

https://petpeoplestores.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

PetPeople is a privately held neighborhood specialty pet retailer founded in 2000 in Worthington, Ohio, operating 251-500 employees. The company sells natural pet foods and quality supplies for dogs and cats and has been backed by TA Associates since 2017.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Retail

NAICS

Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (45991)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Health & Wellness Retail (Supplements, OTC, Flea/Tick) (CRALAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pet Services (Grooming, Training, Daycare) (CRALAIAJ)

Keywords

• Pet retail stores
• Natural pet food
• Pet supplies
• Dog and cat products
• Neighborhood pet store

Headquarters

HQ city

Worthington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Pet Supplies: Hollywood Feed generates revenue through the sale of pet food, treats, toys, accessories, and wellness products across dog and cat categories, both in-store and online with same-day delivery options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PetPeople is the neighborhood place for natural foods and quality supplies for dogs and cats, operating a chain of community-oriented pet retail stores. The company sells its own curated assortment of natural pet nutrition products and quality pet supplies to dog and cat owners, supplemented by in-store personalized customer service.

Product overview

Hollywood Feed is a holistic pet specialty retailer offering a unified retail platform with multiple service offerings and an extensive product portfolio. The company operates as both a brick-and-mortar and online pet supply store, providing pet food, supplies, and services. Core services include Hollywood Feed University (staff training), Same Day Delivery, Hollywood Feed Promise (guarantee), Frequent Feeder loyalty program, AutoShip subscriptions, Grooming & Dog Wash, Curbside Pick-Up, and Price Match Guarantee. The product portfolio spans Dog Food and Cat Food categories (including dry, wet, air dried, freeze dried, fresh, and meal toppers), Pet Supplies (apparel, beds, bowls, toys, treats, grooming, health & wellness), and carries numerous premium brands including Fromm, Ziwi Peak, Orijen, Nutrisource, Acana, A Pup Above, and Mississippi Made. The company positions itself as a holistic retailer focused on American-made, natural, and holistic products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hollywood Feed University (HFU): Educational platform providing training on pet nutrition, health, and wellness for staff and customers.

Products and services

• Natural Dog Food Natural food offerings for dogs, sold by PetPeople as part of its curated neighborhood pet retail assortment. Targeted at dog owners seeking natural and quality nutrition in neighborhood stores.
• Natural Cat Food Natural food offerings for cats, sold by PetPeople as part of its curated neighborhood pet retail assortment. Targeted at cat owners seeking natural and quality nutrition in neighborhood stores.
• Quality Pet Supplies Quality pet supplies for dogs and cats sold alongside natural foods in PetPeople's neighborhood stores, completing the curated assortment beyond nutrition.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rescue Organizations and Animal SheltersminorOthersHollywood Feed maintains ongoing rescue donation programs and partnerships with animal shelters, accepting donations both in-store and online. The company hosts adoption-related events and supports rescue initiatives through their giving back program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• PetSmart: Largest North American specialty pet retailer, operating national superstores with food, supplies, grooming, training, and in-store veterinary clinics. Overlaps with Hollywood Feed across nearly every category but at vastly greater scale, with a broader assortment and lower price points.
• Petco: National specialty pet retailer offering food, supplies, grooming, training, and veterinary services, with a strong push into premium/natural and own-brand wellness. Direct competitor to Hollywood Feed at the national level, with overlapping service offerings.

Direct peers

• PetPeople: Mid-size neighborhood pet supplies chain focused on natural foods and quality supplies for dogs and cats. Closely mirrors Hollywood Feed's positioning, store format, and assortment philosophy, and overlaps geographically in several Midwest markets.
• Pet Supplies Plus: Largest independent pet specialty retailer in the U.S. with a multi-state franchise and corporate store footprint. Highly comparable to Hollywood Feed as a neighborhood-format, multi-state pet supplies chain offering food, supplies, grooming, and self-service dog wash.
• Chewy: Largest pure-play online pet supplies retailer in the U.S., offering the same product categories as Hollywood Feed (food, treats, supplies, pharmacy) with Autoship subscription, 1-2 day delivery, and competitive pricing. Direct e-commerce competitor to Hollywood Feed's online and same-day delivery channel.
• Pet Supermarket: Regional pet supplies chain with strong concentration in the Southeast, similar to Hollywood Feed's regional footprint. Operates comparable brick-and-mortar stores carrying premium and natural pet food brands, grooming, and in-store services.
• Wag N Wash: Natural pet food and self-service dog wash franchise with a curated assortment of premium and holistic brands. Operates a similar store format combining retail with grooming/dog wash services, and competes in overlapping sub-segments of the natural pet retail market.
• Kriser's: Neighborhood natural pet supplies chain (with a Chicago-area base) emphasizing curated natural/holistic food, supplies, grooming, and self-service dog wash. Highly aligned concept and assortment with Hollywood Feed.

Emerging players

• Healthy Spot: Boutique-style pet retail chain on the West Coast with a premium/natural assortment, in-store grooming, daycare, and self-wash. Concept-overlap comparable to Hollywood Feed, but with a smaller footprint and limited geographic overlap.

Regional players

• Mud Bay: Pacific Northwest-based neighborhood pet supplies chain with a strong natural/holistic assortment and deep expertise-driven service model. Closely comparable in concept and customer target, but does not overlap geographically with Hollywood Feed's South/Midwest footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PetPeopleStores
• Facebookfacebook.com/PetPeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petpeople
• Instagraminstagram.com/hwfeed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PetPeople