WILKES-BARRE, Pa., May 1, 2007 /PRNewswire/ — Long time e-tailer, Neeps Incorporated, has announced the sale of its pet supply business to Drs. Foster and Smith (https://www.drsfostersmith.com/) of Rhinelander, WI.
Founded by Scott Sanfilippo and Joseph Palko, Neeps Inc. was parent to one of the first e-commerce sites on the Internet, TheFerretStore.com, which was launched in 1994. TheFerretStore.com catered exclusively to the needs of pet ferret owners selling a line of cages, toys, treats and nutritional products. In 2001, the product line was expanded to include supplies for dogs, cats and small animals and over the years additional websites were launched including ActiveK9.com, PetCareCentral.com, RabbitCentral.com and CritterStore.com along with a wholesale division, which were included in the sale.
“Drs. Foster and Smith share the same values we do as a company and have a very strong emphasis on quality products and exceptional customer service” according to Sanfilippo. “Having built the business from scratch over a decade ago, we’re very excited to see the business transition to such a well- known and respected company as Drs. Foster and Smith.”
As of May 1st, 2007, all operations have been transferred from Neeps, Inc. in Wilkes-Barre, PA, to Drs. Foster & Smith’s headquarters in Rhinelander, WI. Previous Neeps, Inc. pet supply customers will continue to find their favorite pet products at https://www.drsfostersmith.com/.
Kristen Onasch, The Ferret Store’s resident ferret expert, will continue to moderate her online ferret forum and blog for Drs. Foster & Smith. Visitors to TheFerretStore.com’s informational website, FerretFacts.com, will also enjoy expanded links to new ferret articles written by veterinarians from Drs. Foster & Smith’s PetEducation.com website.
The sale gives Drs. Foster & Smith the opportunity to expand its small pet product line by over 600 items including the Superior Choice line of ferret diets sold exclusively through TheFerretStore.com.
Selling off the Neeps pet division is bittersweet to Sanfilippo and Palko. “We like to say that we were online when Amazon just meant river,” joked Palko. “But in fact another business grew from our attempts to make our web sites work better. We formed Solid Cactus, a web design, consulting and software development company that is growing in leaps and bounds.” Solid Cactus began 2006 with 32 people, ended last year with 64 people and currently numbers more than 80. Last year Solid Cactus was named the 21st “Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania” out of 221,000 companies in the state.
“Selling Neeps to Drs. Foster and Smith allows us to do what we do best, at the same time allowing Drs. Foster and Smith to continue to be market leaders in providing pet supplies and pet care products,” said Sanfilippo.