Pet supply store becomes junior anchor at Colleyville Downs

Whole Foods Market made headlines in early 2013 after the natural foods grocery store announced it was coming to Colleyville, and in early April of this year Petco joined the buzz.

Colleyville Economic Development Director Marty Wieder said the 13,500-square-foot pet supply store will flank Whole Foods at Colleyville Downs and serve as the junior anchor of the shopping center, with both stores expected to open this summer.

Centennial Real Estate Director of Development Scott Woodruff said the developer wanted to depict a theme of Colleyville in designing the new stores, and settled on mimicking the historic Ross Downs, a horse racing track once located in the city.

He said the premise is to architecturally reflect a horse farm concept preserving the city's history of the former racetrack as well as the horse farms that remain in Colleyville. Design elements include grandstands, barn doors and pitched roofs with a white, green and gray color scheme, according to renderings by GSO Architects. A winner's circle will be located near the main entry of Whole Foods.

The two anchors join several other retailers that will make up the shopping center known as Colleyville Downs. There is an assortment of other stores that are located in the center or will join the mix, including Westlake Ace Hardware, Matt's Rancho Martinez and Vineyard's Antique Mall.

Woodruff said CRE is in current lease negotiations with other retailers, and there are still two or three more spaces left to fill for Colleyville Downs.

"We're trying to merchandise this as a typical grocery-anchored shopping center," he said.

Petco Marketing Communications Coordinator Megan Gonzalez said the store focuses on markets with an opportunity to reach new customers.

"Petco is a neighborhood pet store, and we typically open new locations in growing neighborhoods where other retailers are located to make sure our customers have a convenient shopping experience."

In choosing store locations for the center, Wieder said the city's goal is "to create place-making excitement" where the stores can build on each other.

"Recent announcements of new restaurants and merchants like Petco at Colleyville Downs represent solid progress in meeting the desires of our citizens and achieving the economic development goals set by our City Council," Wieder said. "Successes like these tend to build on themselves to bring even more success."

Wieder said he expects the economic boost of the new retailers to spill across Colleyville Boulevard as well, where there is 13,000 square feet open for retail. Wieder said lease offers are starting to come in.

"People just want to be near Whole Foods," Wieder said.

Petco is taking advantage of the proximity of the anchor, too.

Gonzalez said Petco has the largest selection of natural food brands of any national pet retailer and expects to integrate well with the natural foods grocery store.

"We are excited to be opening the Colleyville Downs store in such close proximity to an already well-established store whose shoppers have similar philosophies on their own personal health," Gonzalez said.