Pet Supplies Plus franchise opening in Wichita

01 Sep Pet Supplies Plus franchise opening in Wichita

It doesn’t take extensive research to figure out how popular pets are, seemingly more now than ever.

That’s what’s inspiring Cliff Premer to open a Pet Supplies Plus franchise. He’ll open the store in 6,267 square feet at Tallgrass Plaza at the northeast corner of 21st and Rock Road in the first quarter of next year.

“I’ve been looking to try to find the next business venture that I wanted to get into,” says Premer, the former owner of ExecuTrain of Wichita.

He says getting into the pet business makes sense on a couple of levels.

“The industry trends for the last 20 years have been a real steady increase,” Premer says. “People are spending more money on pets every year. It’s a very solid industry.”

Also, he says, much like a grocery store, people need pet supply businesses.

“There’s a constant need.”

Pet Supplies Plus is taking the former All Paws Pet Center space and the space that Weight Watchers currently occupies. Weight Watchers will be moving to the adjacent Shops at Tallgrass in the space where Lululemon Athletica has had a temporary store. Lululemon is opening a permanent store on Friday at Waterfront Plaza at the northwest corner of 13th and Webb Road.

Craig Simon of Landmark Commercial Real Estate and Christian Ablah of Classic Real Estate handled the Pet Supplies Plus deal.

Premer says the 21st and Rock Road area is a good market to be in – especially being next to a Dillons.

He says the Pet Supplies Plus stores “very much want to be near key drivers like grocery stores.”

The store will sell pet food and supplies and what Premer calls small critters, such as fish and lizards. The store won’t sell dogs or cats.

Premer’s family has had pets through the years. Most recently, he says he had a rescue dog named Apollo, but he died.

Now, Premer says he’s going to watch his daughter’s husky, Frisco, while she’s on vacation for a month.

“I’m a happy camper, because I get to babysit.”