Pet Valu To Open on Forest Street

Pet food, treats, toys and accessories provider Pet Valu is planning to open in the new retail-and-residential development ‘Heritage Square’ that’s taking shape on Forest Street, officials say.

Pet Valu will open on the street level of Heritage Square, the new retail-and-residential development going up on Forest Street just off of Locust. Credit: Michael Dinan

The business is the second of two retail shops, together with Embody, that will fill out the street-level at the development, and is slated for an opening in the late spring or early fall, according to Pet Valu Marketing Manager Ally Homa. (The two shops will share more than 30 parking spots between them.)

Pet Valu will become the second pet store to operate in New Canaan, together with Pet Pantry on Grove Street. We had a chance to put some questions to Homa about the company and its plans—see our full exchange below.

Asked for her thought’s on Pet Valu’s imminent arrival in New Canaan, Laura Budd of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce said she’s proud that New Canaan could attract a national business such as this.

“We have been curious to know which two businesses would be filling the brand new retail space on Forest Street,” Budd told NewCanaanite.com. “We’re happy to see the fact that the space is spoken for now, and we feel it’s a great sign for our local economy that so many businesses, especially a large chain, wants to come here. New Canaan loves its pets, so I’m sure that they will be welcomed.”

Here’s our back-and-forth with Homa.

New Canaanite: Why is New Canaan, Conn. a great fit for Pet Valu?

Ally Homa, Pet Valu’s marketing manager: People fall in love with the town of New Canaan and we’re no exception. It didn’t take us long to see that this charming town would be a great fit for one of our stores. New Canaan has such a warm feeling to it and we like to think our stores have that same feeling. We feel that pet owners in this town will appreciate the level of service and care we’ll provide them and their four-legged family members.

Does the store intend to hire local workers?

Pet Valu believes strongly in being involved with the community. This includes hiring local community members to represent our company as Pet Experts! Each staff member hired will complete a course in Pet Nutrition through the University of California’s Davis Extension so they are able to help their peers when it comes to their furry friends.

Will the store get involved locally, such as by joining our Chamber of Commerce?

Pet Valu will absolutely join the Chamber of Commerce in New Canaan. We are absolutely thrilled to be joining a great community, and look forward to partnering with the Chamber and the other Chamber members to make this a successful new venture.

What’s the ETA on opening (I know it’s tied to the larger Heritage Square development, set for the spring)?

We are planning for a late spring-early summer opening for our New Canaan store.

How many stores does Pet Valu have nationwide?

As of January 14, 2016, Pet Valu has 226 stores in the United States. We have 17 stores in Connecticut and will open an additional six to eight stores this year in the state.