Monday, July 8, 2013

Petco Unleashes New Concept in Atlanta

Unleashed, a relatively new concept store from San Diego-based Petco will soon open a new location at Howell Mill Village.


Unleashed is basically a smaller, boutique-like Petco with an emphasis on specialized and local offerings.  Described on their website "Our concept is simple – provide the same knowledge and know-how offered by Petco in a unique, smaller package."

Howell Mill Village has been reborn over the past few years with Publix opening in place of a Winn Dixie / SaveRite and Chase Bank opening a new branch where a freestanding Blockbuster Video once stood.  Chipotle Mexican Grill also joined the center last year. 

This will mark the first Unleashed in the Atlanta market at a time when the chain nears 70 locations nationwide.

Unleashed will replace longstanding watering hole Stooges Sports Bar & Grill which recently relocated to a slightly smaller location within the center.

Over the past year or so, Petco has added at least two new metro Atlanta locations.  A new location opened near Decatur at Emory Commons in a former Blockbuster Video.  Another new location opened in north Buckhead at Powers Ferry Square.

Petco's north Buckhead location as well as its upcoming Unleashed location are both in Regency Centers.  Regency Centers are often well leased and popular centers such as Briarcliff Village near Northlake Mall.  Strangely, a couple years ago, a new Petco opened in the center and then closed about a year or two later.  (A portion of the space is now a Shoe Carnival)

Unlike the shuttered Briarcliff Village Petco and even the Powers Ferry Petco, the new Unleashed will be much smaller.

The Powers Ferry Square Petco measures nearly 11,000 square foot whereas the new Unleashed store will be just shy of 4,000 square feet.

Close to the upcoming Unleashed store, Phoenix, Arizona-based Petsmart has a nearly 18,000 square foot location at The District at Howell Mill.

Sunrise, Florida-based Pet Supermarket has seven locations in the metro area, though none that would seem to directly compete with the new Unleashed store.  Smaller "pet boutiques" like Glamour Paws in Virginia-Highland and Woof Gang Bakery in Buckhead each have one location in Atlanta but have hinted at others being in the works.

Are you a pet owner that favors smaller "boutiques" over larger pet stores?  Do you prefer Petco or Petsmart?  What are your thoughts on the "Unleashed by Petco" concept?  Please join the discussion and share your thoughts below.  

5 comments:

Vett Vandiver said...

this is a cool idea! i'm thinking of getting a dog soon and will keep this in mind!

Anonymous said...

with the transition from Stooges to a pet store, I expect a smooth transition from the stench of human urine to that of pet urine.

Anonymous said...

If you want a true boutique pet store experiece, I highly recommend Red Bandanna. They have several locations in Atlanta, and their staff is amazing! They are very knowledgeable, and they really care about animals. Also, all of the food and products are made in the USA.

Anonymous said...

Yay! Cant wait to check it out! I love Red Bandanna so cant wait to see if they will carry neat things there too!

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see it. I hear its a state of the art faciliy. Nothing but the best for my little winklething

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