april_2018

98 99 AT A GLANCE GLOBAL PET FOODS WHAT: Canada’s largest pet specialty retailer WHERE: Brampton, Ontario WEBSITE: www.globalpetfoods.com GLOBAL PET FOODS GLOBAL PET FOODS CANADA’S HEALTHY CHOICE FOR PETS G lobal Pet Foods is Canada’s leading holistic pet food retailer. Founded in 1976 and based in Brampton, Ontario, the company has over 185 stores across Canada, in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. It specializes in natural and holistic pet food, pet treats and supplements, and also carries a wide selec- tion of health and beauty supplies, such as shampoos, grooming tools, and dental products, as well as toys, carriers and crates, beds, clothing, leashes and collars, and training tools. Company Executive Chairman, Jim Walker, began as franchise store owner more than 25 years ago, and in 1995, he bought the business from its original owner. “At that point, I had nine corporate stores and a dozen franchises,” he recounts. “A num- ber of years after that, I met up with a gentleman - his name was Ted Loyst - who