Hollywood Feed acquires All About Pets, a smaller Memphis competitor - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Hollywood Feed, one of the area's biggest pet food chains, is growing again.
The company last week came to an agreement with the owners of All About Pets to buy the assets and inventory of the smaller three-story chain.
"We reached a price that was attractive to us and a price that was attractive to them," said Shawn McGhee, president of Hollywood Feed.
"I feel confident in saying that both sides are pleased."
As a result of the transaction, the three All About Pets stores, located at Poplar and Mendenhall in East Memphis, Poplar and Forest Hill–Irene in Germantown, and Germantown Parkway in Cordova, will close their doors.
Each of the 10 Memphis-area Hollywood Feed stores — there are also two in Alabama, one in Arkansas, and three in Mississippi — will carry the All About Pets inventory they currently do not stock.
McGhee also promises to honor all loyalty programs, warranties, and returns for All About Pets customers in each Memphis-area store.
"For the customer it should be completely seamless," McGhee said.
The three full-time and three part-time All About Pets employees will also have the opportunity to interview for positions with Hollywood Feed and join the other 85 staff members.
"(McGhee is) being wonderful throughout the whole process," said Victor Ghosheh, who owns All About Pets with his wife, Marla.
The two opened their first pet food store in 2003 to offer healthy pet food options to his fellow dog and cat owners in the Memphis area.
"I have two dogs, and they're the reason I opened the business," Ghosheh said. "I wanted something good for them, and I couldn't find it in Memphis."
He says the merger is a win for all parties.
"I know that Hollywood Feed will continue our mission to extend and improve pets' lives," Ghosheh said. "They will continue the level of service we have always given our customer."
"The opportunity came and it was one of those that was hard to turn down. The opportunity for a small business to sell for profit hardly ever comes. They usually close their doors because they can't pay the bills or something similar," Ghosheh said.
The Germantown store will close this Friday, with the others following over the course of the next six weeks.
"We will be offering discount coupons to the All About Pets customers to go to the Hollywood Feed stores," McGhee said.
Ghosheh isn't ready to announce his next business venture.
"It will be fun, so stay tuned," he said.
In the meantime he'll have to adjust to being in front of the counter.
"It's going to be hard to be a shopper now," Ghosheh said.
21 Sep, 2011--
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