Walmart

Walmart photo

Walmart has been operating an own-branded pilot practice on the outskirts of Atlanta for about a year.

Retailing giant Walmart has decided to start building own-branded veterinary practices inside its stores following the apparent success of a pilot clinic that opened last year on the outskirts of Atlanta.

The company will open another five of the Walmart-branded practices over the next month — two more in Georgia and three in Arizona — with more planned to follow, it announced in a press release.

"Walmart has plans to continue to expand its Pet Services centers, with ambitions to introduce the model to more communities in the future," the company said.

The move indicates that Walmart still carries a torch for veterinary care, even in the wake of pet medication merchandiser PetIQ's recent shuttering of 282 practices inside the stores of partners including Walmart, Meijer and Tractor Supply Co.

Walmart's decision also marks a modest win in PetIQ's turbulent six-year foray into providing veterinary care. PetIQ has operated the Walmart-branded pilot practice since its opening in September 2023, including by supplying veterinarians and support staff. Walmart said its new own-branded clinics will continue to operate "in collaboration" with PetIQ.

The Walmart-branded practices — much like the shuttered PetIQ clinics that had operated under the VetIQ brand — will offer only a pared-down level of care, encompassing vaccines, wellness exams and minor medical services.

PetIQ, which recently agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Bansk, pinned the closure of its wellness centers on difficulty finding enough veterinarians. Hundreds of practitioners and support staff lost their jobs as a result of its clinic closures, 149 of which had occurred by the end of 2023, and the remaining 133 by this August.

Walmart indicated that it nevertheless sees potential in a model that will allow it to cross-sell existing products — such as pet food, cat scratchers, fish tanks or "Beetlejuice" dog costumes — to consumers seeking veterinary care.

Elsewhere, dedicated pet supplies retailer Petco recently started slowing the rate at which it builds veterinary practices in its stores, citing difficulty finding veterinarians. Conversely, online retailer Chewy is dipping its toes deeper into veterinary care, having now opened six brick-and-mortar veterinary clinics since April.