Chewy
A North American online retailer specializing in pet food, supplies, pharmacy, subscriptions, and veterinary services.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Chewy is an American digital retailer focused on pet food, pet supplies, medications, and related services. The company began in June 2011 under the name Mr. Chewy, founded by Ryan Cohen and Michael Day. It developed an online-first model intended to make recurring purchases for pets more convenient, particularly through automatic replenishment and direct-to-consumer delivery. Although the company generated substantial sales early in its life, it initially operated at a loss while investing in fulfillment, customer acquisition, assortment, and service infrastructure. Chewy expanded rapidly during the 2010s as online shopping became more established in the pet category. By 2017, the business had reached approximately $2 billion in revenue and had become a significant participant in United States online pet-food sales. That year, PetSmart acquired Chewy for $3.35 billion, described at the time as the largest acquisition of an e-commerce company. Chewy continued to operate largely as an independent business within PetSmart, and Ryan Cohen remained chief executive until March 2018. Sumit Singh, who had served as chief operating officer and previously held roles at Dell and Amazon, succeeded him as CEO. Under Singh, Chewy continued to grow its recurring-order business and broadened its offering beyond food and basic supplies. Its Autoship program became a central part of the customer proposition, allowing households to schedule repeat deliveries of products such as kibble, litter, treats, and medication. Between 2017 and 2018, sales increased from approximately $2.1 billion to $3.5 billion, while a majority of sales came from customers enrolled in automatic recurring shipments. The company filed for an initial public offering in 2019 and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under CHWY. Its public-market debut established Chewy as one of the most prominent listed pure-play pet-commerce companies in the United States. Demand increased during the COVID-19 period as pet ownership, home delivery, and digital purchasing gained momentum. Chewy subsequently expanded into pet healthcare, first through digital services and prescription fulfillment. In October 2020 it introduced Connect With a Vet, a free tele-triage service. The company also announced capabilities for producing and fulfilling customized compounded prescriptions when suitable commercial alternatives were unavailable. In 2022, it introduced CarePlus, a pet insurance and wellness offering, extending the brand into financial and preventive-care services. Chewy later moved into physical veterinary care. Chewy Vet Care was announced in December 2023 and launched in-person in April 2024, with practices intended to provide routine examinations, urgent care, and surgical procedures. This represented a shift from being solely an online retailer toward a broader pet-health platform. Chewy's business remains centered on the United States, with Canada also identified as an operating market. Its principal competitive advantages are breadth of assortment, recurring delivery, customer service, digital convenience, and the ability to connect commerce with pharmacy and veterinary care.
History
Chewy was founded in June 2011 by Ryan Cohen and Michael Day under the name Mr. Chewy. The business was created as an online specialist for pet food and supplies, a category characterized by frequent repeat purchasing and strong potential for home delivery. Early growth required substantial spending on infrastructure and customer acquisition, and the company was not initially profitable. Nevertheless, its focus on assortment, convenience, service, and recurring orders helped it build a substantial customer base. The company accelerated during the middle of the 2010s. By 2017, reported revenue had reached approximately $2 billion, and Chewy accounted for a large share of United States online pet-food sales. Petco and PetSmart both approached the company regarding a transaction. PetSmart ultimately acquired Chewy in 2017 for $3.35 billion. The acquisition allowed Chewy to remain operationally distinct within PetSmart, preserving its digital identity and growth model. Ryan Cohen continued as chief executive until March 2018, when Sumit Singh became CEO. Singh had joined Chewy as chief operating officer and had prior experience at Dell and Amazon. Chewy's sales rose from approximately $2.1 billion in 2017 to $3.5 billion in 2018. Automatic recurring shipments were particularly important: roughly two-thirds of sales in 2018 came from customers enrolled in Autoship. This model gave customers a way to automate purchases of food, litter, treats, medication, and other regularly used products, while giving Chewy a recurring relationship with households. In 2019, Chewy filed for an initial public offering and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under CHWY. The company's filing disclosed a net loss of $268 million on $3.5 billion in fiscal-2018 sales. Fiscal-2019 net sales reached $4.85 billion. The business then benefited from heightened demand for pet products and delivery during the COVID-19 era. In March 2021, Chewy reported $2.04 billion in fourth-quarter revenue for 2020 and its first quarter of net profitability; fiscal-2020 net sales were $7.15 billion. Fiscal-2021 net sales increased to $8.89 billion, followed by $10.1 billion in fiscal 2022, $11.15 billion in fiscal 2023, and $11.86 billion in fiscal 2024. Chewy broadened from commerce into services. In 2020, it launched Connect With a Vet, a free tele-triage offering, and announced customized prescription-compounding fulfillment for cases in which commercial alternatives were unavailable. In 2022, CarePlus added pet insurance and wellness plans. The company subsequently announced Chewy Vet Care, an in-person veterinary concept, in late 2023 and launched practices in April 2024. These initiatives show a strategic progression from online product retail toward an integrated pet-care ecosystem involving products, pharmacy, digital advice, insurance, and physical veterinary treatment. Chewy remains an active public company headquartered in Plantation, Florida. Its core business continues to be online retail in the United States and Canada, supported by recurring delivery, customer service, pharmacy, advertising, and healthcare expansion.
- 2024
In-person veterinary practices launched
[1]Chewy launched Chewy Vet Care as an in-person veterinary offering.
- 2023
Chewy Vet Care announced
[1]Chewy announced plans to establish veterinary practices offering clinical services.
- 2022
CarePlus introduced
[1]The company launched pet insurance and wellness plans through CarePlus.
- 2020
Expansion into digital veterinary support
[1]Chewy introduced Connect With a Vet and expanded its prescription capabilities.
- 2019
Initial public offering
[1]Chewy became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CHWY.
- 2018
Leadership transition
[1]Sumit Singh succeeded Ryan Cohen as chief executive.
- 2017
PetSmart acquisition
[1]PetSmart acquired Chewy for $3.35 billion, while the business retained substantial operational independence.
- 2011
Company founded as Mr. Chewy
[1]Ryan Cohen and Michael Day founded the online pet retailer in June 2011.
Products and positioning
A convenience-led, online-first pet retailer that combines a broad product assortment with recurring delivery, pharmacy, digital veterinary support, insurance, and in-person care.
Pet nutrition · 2011
Pet food
Chewy's core assortment includes dry and wet food for dogs and cats, along with specialized diets and food for other companion animals. Food is particularly suited to the company's delivery model because it is purchased frequently and can be included in scheduled repeat orders.
Pet products · 2011
Pet supplies
The retailer sells a broad range of non-food products, including litter, treats, toys, beds, crates, grooming goods, habitats, and equipment. The breadth of the assortment supports one-stop purchasing for households with pets.
Subscription and recurring delivery
Autoship
Autoship lets customers schedule recurring deliveries of regularly consumed products. It is a central part of Chewy's proposition because it reduces the need for repeat manual orders and creates an ongoing relationship between the retailer and pet-owning households.
Pet healthcare
Online pet pharmacy
Chewy's pharmacy business provides prescription and other health-related products through its online retail platform. The company has also described capabilities for customized compounded medications when suitable commercial alternatives are unavailable.
Digital veterinary service · 2020
Connect With a Vet
Introduced in 2020, Connect With a Vet is a tele-triage service designed to help pet owners obtain initial guidance from veterinary professionals. It extended Chewy's relationship with customers beyond product purchasing and into pet-health support.
Pet insurance and wellness · 2022
CarePlus
CarePlus provides pet insurance and wellness-plan offerings. Its introduction marked Chewy's expansion into products intended to help customers manage both routine and unexpected healthcare costs for pets.
Veterinary practices · 2024
Chewy Vet Care
Chewy Vet Care is the company's in-person veterinary concept. The practices are intended to provide routine examinations, urgent care, and surgical procedures, giving Chewy a physical healthcare presence in addition to its digital retail and pharmacy operations.
Controversies
2021
Chewy sues Covetrus over alleged diversion of online orders
Chewy sued Covetrus, alleging it illegally diverted potential purchases of pet medication and food away from Chewy. The source says Chewy expanded its complaint on September 24; the allegations are not presented as a court determination.
2021
Chewy files patent noninfringement action against IBM
Chewy filed a complaint against IBM in the Southern District of New York seeking a declaratory judgment that it did not infringe the patents IBM asserted against it.
Brand decisions
2023
Move into in-person veterinary careStrategyBackground
After developing online healthcare and insurance offerings, Chewy pursued a physical-care model.
Action taken
Chewy announced Chewy Vet Care practices offering routine, urgent, and surgical veterinary services.
Aftermath
The initiative broadened Chewy from an online retailer into a multi-channel pet-health platform.
2022
Introduce CarePlusProduct launchBackground
Chewy's commerce platform was being extended into broader pet-health services.
Action taken
The company introduced CarePlus pet insurance and wellness plans.
Aftermath
CarePlus added insurance and preventive-care offerings to Chewy's product and service ecosystem.
2020
Expand into pet healthcareStrategyBackground
Chewy sought to deepen customer relationships beyond product transactions and address pet-health needs.
Action taken
The company launched Connect With a Vet and expanded prescription fulfillment, including customized compounded medications in specified cases.
Aftermath
Healthcare became a larger strategic area, later encompassing insurance, wellness plans, and physical veterinary practices.
2019
Proceed with public listingOtherBackground
Chewy sought capital and a public-market platform after rapid expansion as a PetSmart-owned digital retailer.
Action taken
Chewy filed for an initial public offering and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under CHWY.
Aftermath
The listing established Chewy as a publicly traded, specialized pet-commerce company.
2017
Accept PetSmart's acquisition offerM&ABackground
Chewy was considering approaches from Petco and PetSmart as it pursued rapid growth in online pet retail.
Action taken
The company accepted PetSmart's all-cash offer, valued at $3.35 billion.
Aftermath
Chewy continued to operate largely as an independent unit within PetSmart and later became publicly traded.
Acquisition value. $3.35 billion (2017)
Recent events
Reported
Zesty Paws launches Pill Wrap Probiotic Paste[4]
Zesty Paws announced the launch of Pill Wrap Probiotic Paste, a dog medication wrap product with probiotics. It was available exclusively at Chewy through May 31, 2022.
Reported
Chewy sues Covetrus over alleged diversion of online orders[2]
Chewy sued Covetrus, alleging it illegally diverted potential purchases of pet medication and food away from Chewy. The source says Chewy expanded its complaint on September 24; the allegations are not presented as a court determination.
Reported
Chewy files patent noninfringement action against IBM[3]
Chewy filed a complaint against IBM in the Southern District of New York seeking a declaratory judgment that it did not infringe the patents IBM asserted against it.
Reported
MYOS enters distribution agreement with Chewy[5]
MYOS announced a distribution agreement with Chewy, which will distribute MYOS Canine Muscle Formula to pet owners across the United States.
Sources6 sources
- 1Chewy (company)en.wikipedia.org
- 2Chewy sues Covetrus over alleged diversion of online ordersmainebiz.biz
- 3Chewy files patent noninfringement action against IBMlawstreetmedia.com
- 4Zesty Paws 推出 Pill Wrap Probiotic Pasteprnewswire.com
- 5MYOS与Chewy达成分销协议prnewswire.com
- 6MYOS RENS Technology Reports First Quarter 2020 Financial Results Including a 95% Increase in Net Revenuesprnewswire.com
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