Petsense is closing stores: List of doomed locations grows as pet supplies retailer faces shifting habits
Another retailer has announced that it is closing some of its stores. This time around it’s the popular pet supply chain Petsense, which is owned by Tractor Supply Company (Nasdaq: TSCO). Here’s what you need to know about the Petsense store closures.
Petsense to shut approximately 75 locations
On the company’s second-quarter earnings call last week, Tractor Supply Company CEO Harry Lawton said the firm will close approximately 75 of its Petsense locations.
Petsense is a popular pet supply retailer found in small and mid-sized communities. Petsense was founded in 2005 and acquired in 2016 by Tractor Supply Company (which itself is much older, having been founded in 1938 as a mail-order service for tractor parts).
Petsense sells pet food and supplies, and also offers services like grooming and cat adoption.
According to a check of its store locator tool, Petsense currently has 208 locations in more than 20 states. However, more than a third of those locations will now be closing. On Tractor Supply Company’s earnings call, Lawton said that approximately 75 underperforming Petsense locations will close.
“We believe these actions will improve returns, simplify business, and allow us to direct resources towards higher growth, higher return opportunities,” Lawton said, according to a PitchBook transcript of the call.
When asked about the closures, Lawton said that “the 75 stores that we announced today that we’re shutting down are negative four-wall cashflow.” This means the individual stores marked for closure were costing more to run than they were bringing in.
“We will be able to use that negative four-wall cashflow once we shut those stores down and reinvest that back into the core of our business,” Lawton added.
“Shopping more deliberately”
Speaking broadly about all of Tractor Supply Company’s businesses, which include online pet pharmacy Allivet and VIP Petcare veterinary clinics, Lawton said that customer engagement had not changed but that customer spending behaviors had.
“Customers continue to invest in the care of their pets, animals, farms, and properties, but they’re shopping more deliberately, consolidating trips, and prioritizing needs-based items while taking a more measured approach to discretionary purchases,” Lawton noted.
Which Petsense stores are closing?
The Tractor Supply Company did not specify which Petsense locations will be closing. But once the stores do shutter, Petsense’s retail footprint will be significantly diminished.
Petsense currently has around 208 locations. Closing approximately 75 locations will leave Petsense with around 133 locations.
Fast Company has reached out to Tractor Supply Company for comment.
Petsense has multiple locations in the Pacific Northwest, but the vast majority of its stores are in the southern United States, including Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.
How has Tractor Supply Company’s stock price performed?
Not well in 2026. On Friday, TSCO shares closed up around 2.3% to just above $31 apiece.
However, for the year to date, the company’s stock price has declined nearly 38%. Over the past 12 months, the drop is even steeper, with TSCO shares down nearly 48%.
Most recently, for its Q2 2026, Tractor Supply Company posted a 1.5% decline in comparable store sales and reduced its full-year fiscal 2026 outlook.
In addition to its subsidiary stores, Tractor Supply Company operates more than 2,400 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states.