Petco Charity to Host NYC Block Party; Leadership Shakeups Continue in Retail Division

Petco Love, the nonprofit arm of pet care retailer Petco, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this weekend with a block party and adoption event at NYC’s Union Square Park. The event is taking place as the retail arm of the company is undergoing a leadership transition, with a new executive structure and two C-suite appointments following the departure of CEO Ron Coughlin in March.

Block Party to Feature Skechers Booth, Enough Cake for 500 Pets

On Sunday, June 2, Petco Love will take over NYC’s Union Square, right outside its new NYC flagship store. The event will mark one year since the flagship’s opening as well as the charity’s 25 years of work facilitating adoptions and supporting animal welfare organizations. Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love has helped find homes for more than 6.8 million pets, in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 organizations across the U.S. 

The block party will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature:

• More than 300 adoptable pets;
• The largest dog and cat cakes ever seen in New York City, including a 7-foot-long dog bone cake and a heart-shaped cat cake, providing slices for more than 500 pets in total;
• A booth by Bobs from Skechers featuring an on-site photographer to capture, print and frame newly adopted pets’ first family photos, as well as giveaways for both pets and humans;
• A guest appearance from Antoni Porowski, star of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Co-founder of the pet food brand Yummers Pet Supply Co. and advocate for animal welfare;
• Face painting;
• Caricature art; and
• A photo booth.

The event will be promoted across New York City through extensive promotional efforts, including advertising on a Nasdaq marquee and tower from May 26 to June 2, 2024.

“We are thrilled to celebrate 25 years of love and compassion with the New York community and invite everyone to join us for this special event,” said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love in a statement. “For the past 25 years, Petco Love has invested more than $10 million in NYC partner animal welfare organizations. This party is an extension of our commitment to saving pet lives and supporting pet parents citywide.”

Abercrombie Veteran Named Petco Chief Stores Officer

Meanwhile back at headquarters, Petco’s retail arm is going through a leadership shakeup as part of its ongoing transformation effort.

James Roth has been appointed Chief Stores Officer, leading operations across all Pet Care Centers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and reporting directly to Interim CEO Mike Mohan. Current COO Justin Tichy has made the decision to leave the company and the COO role has been eliminated.

Roth most recently served as EVP of Stores at Abercrombie & Fitch Co., where he led the stores team across five brands, 16 countries and more than 800 stores. He has held numerous other senior retail roles during his 20-plus-year career.

Additionally, Shari White has been appointed as Interim Chief Merchant, reporting directly to Mohan. White joined the company six years ago from consumer products company Perrigo, where she served as Director of Sales, Target. She previously served in merchandising and brand management roles at Target and Unilever.

Amy College, current Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, will be leaving the company on August 17, 2024, and the company will conduct a search for a permanent Chief Merchant.

Mohan, who has been a member of Petco’s board since March 2021 and previously served as President and COO of Best Buy, took over as interim CEO in March 2024 when Ron Coughlin — who led Petco through a major strategic transformation and its IPO — stepped down as CEO, Chairman and member of the board of directors. The search for a permanent CEO is still underway.

In the meantime, the company also has expanded the executive leadership team reporting to Mohan in an effort to “simplify decision making and empower the organization to move with greater speed and agility.” The new executive leadership team now includes:

• Tim Buckenberger, SVP, Merchandise Planning, Inventory and Supply Chain;
• Steve Janowiak, VP Digital;
• Stephen Reyes, SVP, Services;
• James Roth, Chief Stores Officer; and
• Shari White, Interim Chief Merchant.

“Today’s changes to our leadership team will accelerate Petco’s initiatives to drive retail excellence as we execute on our operational reset,” said Mohan in a statement. “Across the business, we are streamlining the organization to empower faster and more effective implementation of best practices on the path to restoring our profitability.

“I want to thank Justin and Amy for their years of service to Petco,” Mohan added. “They have been instrumental in the development of our omnichannel pet health and wellness ecosystem, while supporting our purpose to improve the lives of pets, pet parents and Petco partners.”