St. Paul Chuck & Don’s to close following parent company’s bankruptcy

Chuck & Don’s, a pet food supply store, will close one St. Paul location following the announcement of its parent company, Independent Pet Partners Holdings, filing for bankruptcy Sunday in Delaware.

The Woodbury-based parent company will close 93 stores, including the Lowertown St. Paul shop located at 282 6th Street E. The company will also sell an additional 66 locations, according to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy court filings.

Chuck & Don’s was originally based in Mahtomedi until it was acquired by Independent Pet Partners in 2019. Of the roughly 25 locations in the state, the Lowertown facility is the only one set to close, according to court documents.

According to the company, its reasons for filing bankruptcy include challenges related to early growth strategies, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent inflation trends and unexpected changes in consumer behavior resulting from a potentially fatal heart disease in dogs.

The FDA began investigating the effects of grain-free pet food in 2018 after receiving numerous reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy. The company and its stores predominantly stocked grain-free pet food as of mid-2019, according to court documents. Although the FDA has yet to identify a specific link between the diet and the disease, the company claims in court filings that the publicity surrounding the investigation had a negative impact on its business, costing around $10 million.

Per the court filings, Independent Pet Partners’ assets totaled around $182 million and liabilities came in at $215 million.

Independent Pet Partners, which was founded in 2017, currently has more than 160 locations across 12 states. The company is home to four independent pet store brands including Chuck & Don’s, Kriser’s Natural Pet, Natural Pawz and Loyal Companion. The company offers services including grooming, training, daycare and retail product lines that include high-quality pet food.

Natural Pawz and Loyal Companion pet lines will both be discontinued by the end of the month, according to court filings.

As of the filing date, the company employs 1,300 employees: 850 full-time workers and 450 part-time workers. The estimated accrued but unpaid employee compensation is roughly $1 million, according to documents.

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