Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (10:04): I wish to congratulate PETstock on the opening of its 200th store in Ballarat, 31 years after opening the family’s first retail store on La Trobe Street, Delacombe. PETstock is a 100 per cent proudly Australian family owned and operated company founded in Ballarat by the Young family and built on humble beginnings in regional Victoria.

PETstock was born in 2002, 11 years after the Young family took ownership of Ballarat Produce in 1991. Brothers David and Shane Young built the business on family values and a passion for pets. The PETstock story is not only a family success story but a Ballarat success story. PETstock’s colourful striped logo is easily recognisable, and the company is a household name.

In 2013 PETstock celebrated the opening of their 100th store in Ballarat, an incredible achievement by any measure. Despite all the challenges of COVID, PETstock has continued its rapid growth over the last few years, opening a new store every couple of months, and within less than a decade the number of stores has now doubled. Significantly PETstock’s 200th store was recently opened on Creswick Road, Ballarat. This is now the fourth PETstock in Ballarat. PETstock now employs 3000 staff across 200 sites; 68 of these are in Victoria.

Ballarat is where the business started, and I am thrilled that PETstock’s support centre and flagship store still operate there. Well done, PETstock.

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