Enjoying a decent sales growth over last two years, Petco has large-scale business plans with a more orientation toward health care for pets. The pet retailer already announced it would expand its chain of veterinarian clinics up to 140 locations by the beginning of 2021, and the process will likely be continued.
Aiming to establish itself as a solid pet health care provider, Petco has recently rebranded itself as “Petco, The Health + Wellness Co”, replacing its cat and dog logo with a new one featuring only the company’s new name. However, the brand overhauling faced a harsh criticism.
Mews and Ruff, the blue cat and red dog, have been Petco’s mascots for a long time, becoming recognizable and favorite characters. That’s why their disappearing from the retailer’s logo caused a sharp negative reaction from consumers. On social media, people were expressing their disapproval and disappointment, describing the company’s move as a travesty and downright disgusting.
Responding to the backlash, Petco assured that the beloved duo is not gone for good. The animals are said to stay as the symbols of the retailer and will be featured in its advertisements. But this is unlikely to satisfy Petco’s disappointed consumers.
As for the company’s renovated logotype, it includes the all-lowercase wordmark “petco” accompanied by the smaller all-caps “The Health + Wellness Co.” as a part of the retailer’s new name showing Petco’s priorities. The deep blue, in which the Petco emblem is designed, is also used for the new website of the company, and is obviously designated as its corporate color.
