Pet Supplies Plus closing Bay Forest Center store in Annapolis. Pet Supplies Plus is closing its Bay Forest Center location in Annapolis, with all merchandise currently marked 50% off as the store works through remaining inventory. An employee at the store said the decision was made at the corporate level and said she was unsure why the Annapolis location is closing. During a recent visit, the store still had a large amount of inventory available. Edgewater location remains open. The Pet Supplies Plus location in Edgewater is remaining open for now, according to the employee. The Bay Forest Center store has served pet owners in the Annapolis area with food, supplies, toys, and other pet care products. No final closing date was immediately available.

Customer service becomes the battleground for pet retailers. Players are gaining recognition for customer service leadership, supported by training programs and digital innovation. As customer interaction becomes increasingly important, pet companies are investing more heavily in staff training and service quality. Meanwhile, they increase digitization to deliver convenience and seamless shopping experiences. Customer service rankings. Arcaplanet, Italy's largest pet retailer, ranked first in the "Italy's Best Customer Service 2025/2026" survey conducted by the newspaper Corriere della Sera and international research firm Statista, with a score of 8.43. The survey, which recognized 462 companies across 141 categories, polled a panel of 15,000 Italians to evaluate brands based on service availability, customer focus, professional competence, quality of communication and variety of solutions offered. Arcaplanet led in the service availability category, with the survey noting the recognition was driven by its staff's expertise in pet nutrition and wellbeing. "The brand invests in continuous training for its Pet Specialists, who follow structured professional development paths designed to enhance skills, support internal growth and provide digital tools and integrated processes that ensure operational consistency," the retailer tells GlobalPETS. The power of training programs. In the US, Pet Supplies Plus earned recognition from Forbes, which named it best in customer service for the third consecutive year. The Forbes 2026 Best Customer Service list also featured Tractor Supply, Chewy, PetSmart and Petco, highlighting 300 companies selected from more than 3,000 reviewed. More than 150,000 consumers were surveyed, rating their experiences with companies operating in or serving the US market. The Michigan-based pet supply franchise also earned a bronze Stevie Award for customer service success. These awards recognize leading companies worldwide across more than 150 categories. According to the company, the recognition was also due to a strong emphasis on staff training, particularly given its franchise business model. "Our training programs ensure that our teams have the confidence, product knowledge and neighbor-first mindset to deliver support every time," the company tells GlobalPETS. In addition, Pet Supplies Plus operates a blended support model across its corporate-owned and franchise locations, rewarding franchisees financially when they adhere to the company's customer service standards. 24/7 availability. Another pet player recognized by the Stevie Awards came from the insurance sector. Trupanion received 2 recognitions: silver for contact center and bronze for customer service. The company says it invests heavily in veterinary-focused training for its workforce. Its claims team is composed almost entirely of professionals with field experience, including veterinarians and licensed technicians. "We also focus on support for the veterinary community. We have expanded service hours and days for our partners and elevated the tools and training for our territory partners, who act as in-person concierges to the clinics, enabling them to have more complete and effective conversations in the field," COO John Gallagher tells GlobalPETS. The pet insurance player also offers 24/7 contact centers, which play a major role in its customer experience strategy. In 2025, the company supported more than 50,000 policyholders who called during overnight hours. Digital integration and AI investments. The insurer is also advancing its quality assurance efforts through a technology-supported approach. Its system uses an integrated AI-driven analytics platform that monitors all member interactions. According to Trupanion, the technology deciphers emotional sentiment and pinpoints friction points or success drivers that manual sampling might miss. "We then use these insights to expand and improve our agents' training modules, refreshing the curriculum as interactions evolve," Gallagher says. Investments also cover a platform that surfaces critical, real-time insights the moment a call connects. This allows the company to predict the reason for an inquiry based on recent activity or claims history, eliminating manual data searches and enabling agents to focus on the pet owner's needs. "To support this, we are moving toward what we call a unified member view: a single interface that consolidates every touchpoint, from marketing interactions to prior claims conversations. This ensures our team is always equipped with the full context of a pet's journey," the COO adds. Customer relationships and AI. Pet Supplies Plus is also exploring AI to strengthen customer relations and improve employee knowledge. "We are also looking at AI to help enhance and strengthen the knowledge of our teams and the relationships with our neighbors," the company says. Meanwhile, Arcaplanet is taking a different approach to tech integration by focusing on a fully integrated digital experience across all touchpoints, including WhatsApp. "We are progressively integrating veterinary services, with the aim of offering a complete care pathway supported by advanced digital systems monitoring customer satisfaction in real time," the retailer adds. Free articles read this month

Pet retail franchise operator in Texas enters Chapter 11 bankruptcy. IKPM Pet Supply LLC, a Sugar Land, TX-based pet supplies retail company, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Published Date: May 25, 2026, 12:23 PM EDT IKPM Pet Supply LLC filed a bankruptcy petition on May 22 (Image credit: Choja | Getty Images Signature | Created on Canva) A Sugar Land, Texas-based pet supplies retailer has filed for bankruptcy protection. IKPM Pet Supply LLC has not disclosed a reason for the filing. A Chapter 11 filing typically indicates an effort to restructure debt under court supervision. Ad ends in 10 Video Muted IKPM Pet Supply LLC enters bankruptcy. The locally owned and operated pet supplies company made a voluntary filing on May 22, 2026. Case filings state that IKPM Pet Supply LLC operates under the Pet Supplies Plus brand and is set to proceed under Subchapter V of Chapter 11 as it has qualified as a 'small business debtor.' The filing is expected to allow the retailer to complete the process more quickly and at lower cost than traditional Chapter 11 cases. Key court filings so far. According to case filings on the PACER database, the proceedings are taking place in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Attorney Vicky M. Fealy of The Fealy Law Firm, PC, is the legal counsel in the case. Case records, as available in the petition, show that a few document filings have been made to date. Indrani Karthikeyan, the Managing Member of IKPM Pet Supply LLC, signed the petition prior to its submission. The company added a list of creditors with the largest unsecured creditors in the petition. These include Customers Bank, Chase, American Express, Petronia Holdings, and Fort Bend County TAC. The nature of most of the unsecured claims is business loans, alongside business personal property taxes and credit cards. Court filings indicate that after administrative expenses are paid, no funds will be available for distribution to the unsecured creditors. The company also submitted a list of equity security holders and a verified creditor matrix. Other details from the petition are summarized here: * Filing Date: May 22, 2026 * Court and Jurisdiction: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas * Type of Filing: Active, Voluntary Petition * Chapter: 11, Subchapter V * Case Number: 26-33610 * Estimated Assets: Between $500,001-$1 million * Estimated Liabilities: Between $1,000,001-$10 million * Estimated Creditors: Between 1 and 49 * Reason for Filing: Restructure business under court supervision About the company. The U.S.-based pet retail chain operates neighborhood-style stores through locally owned franchise locations. One of those locations, the Telfair-Sugar Land store, is part of the Chapter 11 filing. The location is run by franchise owners Karthikeyan, Indrani, and Pranav, as per the website. Offerings include pet food, supplies, and live animals (such as fish, reptiles, birds, and small pets). Grooming, self-serve dog wash, and pet adoption support are services offered by IKPM Pet Supply LLC. As the case moves forward, the company is expected to continue offering its full range of pet retail products and services. The outcome of the case and its future financial footing could depend on the company's ability to restructure its liabilities and stabilize daily operations. Love its content? Add WhatNow as a preferred source on Google to see more of its trusted coverage when you search. Be the first to know. From new restaurant openings to exciting retail launches and real estate insights, be the first to know what's happening in News Twinkle Jha is a content writer passionate about crafting engaging and informative pieces for diverse audiences. She holds a degree in Journalism & Mass Communication that helps her create news-based articles related to restaurants, retail, and real estate in the US. With five years of writing experience, Twinkle has a strong base for her research, allowing her to create compelling content. Her keen eye for detail and creative approach make her writing stand out. When not working, she loves to watch movies.