Hot on the heels of another retail giant’s smaller, more urban-driven format, Petland Inc. debuted a smaller-store format in Hillsboro, Ohio.The new format does not sell dogs, but does carry small birds, reptiles, fish, ferrets and other small animals. It also offers grooming services.

“We recognized that we could better meet the needs of all of our customers with offering a smaller store with a heavier focus on consumables and services,” said Elizabeth Kunzelman, director of communications for Petland, headquartered in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Ed Kunzelman, the company’s founder and chairman, said the smaller store in Hillsboro—with a population of 6,368 compared to Chillicothe’s 21,796—complements the company’s traditional store format.

“People from Hillsboro often come to Chillicothe to purchase their pets, but they don’t want to make the drive for their weekly pet food or litter purchases,” he said. “The new format gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers in areas outside our traditional store markets.”

Petco, another major retailer, in June launched Unleashed by Petco, a 5,000-square-foot format that carries no live animals. The rollout began in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego, the company’s headquarters, and expanded to Simi Valley, Calif., according to www.unleashedbypetco.com.

Petland’s traditional store model, which includes puppy sales, has become a magnet for animal activist groups like the Humane Society of the United States (Washington), which have alleged the retail chain does business with substandard breeding facilities. A Petland in Roseville, Calif., closed in December, citing economic reasons. It had been picketed by animal rights activists earlier in the year, according to published reports.

Petland Inc. is a franchise operation with full-service retail pet centers across the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico and South Africa. [February 2010 PET AGE]