PetIQ, the new owner of the VIP Petcare network, reported March 13 that it will open 20 veterinary clinics inside Walmart stores.
The first two clinics will open the week of March 18 and all 20 will debut within 90 days, said Cord Christensen, PetIQ’s chairman and CEO. The 20 locations were not publically identified, but all the clinics will bear the name VetIQ Petcare.
“In a very short period of time [our team] … has leveraged our cross-functional capabilities to introduce our first VetIQ Petcare clinics,” Christensen said. “We are excited to provide pet parents and their pets a unique experience in conjunction with our retail partners.”
PetIQ, a manufacturer of flea and tick preventives, supplements and treats, purchased VIP Petcare in January 2018 for $220 million.
VIP Petcare last year provided more than 1 million pets with low-level services such as vaccinations and microchipping at thousands of pop-up clinics, most of them inside feed and pet stores. Staffed by a licensed veterinarian, nearly all the clinics are open for only a few days a month. Whether the 20 Walmart clinics will operate on a similar schedule was not disclosed.
PetIQ stated that it “has plans to open more than 1,000 additional veterinary services clinics in retail-partner locations through 2023.”
“We believe the combined company retail locations we serve represent a significant opportunity for us to grow our veterinary services offering,” Christensen said. “This will enable us to further achieve our mission of providing access to convenient and affordable veterinarian care for all pet owners, including those who currently cannot afford the care they need.”
PetIQ is headquartered in Eagle, Idaho.