Purveyors of Creature Comforts
In quick succession, DFS bought four other pet/pet-supply companies: Hornbeck’s, eTropicals, LiveAquaria.com and Flying Fish Express. Why acquire titles?
“About two years ago, we talked about getting into the aquatics and bird business,” Foster explains. “Some customer surveys indicated that our customers wanted to see more fish and bird products, because many dog and cat owners also own these animals. We determined that a fish title probably could add a few million dollars a year in sales, but we had to decide what is the best way to achieve that. Is it to start that business from scratch within our own catalogs, or to buy another title that already specializes in it? Obviously, we went with the latter.” Foster says all of the acquired titles combined so far have added about $30 million a year in sales.