Feeder’s Pet Supply names Craig Knies president
Bottom line
Feeder’s Pet Supply has named retail veteran Craig Knies as president, effective September 13, marking a leadership change at the Kentucky-based specialty chain. Pet Age reported that Knies brings about 40 years of industry experience, including nearly two decades in leadership roles at Houchens Food Group. The move comes as Feeder’s continues to evolve under Houchens Industries, which says the company became 100% employee-owned after its 2023 acquisition. Feeders currently operates 68 stores across six states, according to the company’s careers page. (feederspetsupply.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, leadership changes at a regional pet retailer can ripple into nutrition access, referral relationships, and local competition for pet health services. Feeders carries major veterinary and premium pet food brands, runs a loyalty program tied to repeat food purchases, and has longstanding ties to rescue and adoption groups, making it a meaningful touchpoint for pet parents in its markets. A president with deep grocery, merchandising, and operations experience could influence assortment, pricing, private-label strategy, and community partnerships in ways that affect clinic recommendations and client buying patterns. (feederspetsupply.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether Knies signals changes in store growth, merchandising, private-label expansion, or partnerships with animal welfare and veterinary stakeholders. (houchens.com)
Feeder’s Pet Supply has appointed Craig Knies as president, effective September 13, adding a longtime retail operator to lead the regional pet specialty chain. The appointment, first reported by Pet Age, puts an executive with roughly 40 years of experience at the helm as the company continues its next phase under Houchens Industries ownership. (houchens.com)
The backdrop here is a company already in transition. Feeders traces its roots to Louisville and says it rebranded from Feeders Supply to Feeders Pet Supply in 2021, then became part of Houchens Industries in 2023. Houchens describes the business as 100% employee-owned, a structure the company has emphasized as part of its growth story. Feeders also says it has expanded into a regional chain and now operates 68 locations across Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and North Carolina. (feederspetsupply.com)
Knies appears to fit that expansion-minded profile. Houchens said in a January 23, 2025 leadership announcement that he had served the organization for 16 years and was promoted to chief marketing officer and senior vice president of merchandising for Houchens Food Group after previously leading retail operations in its North Division. That same announcement said Knies joined the boards of Houchens Food Group and Feeders Pet Supply in 2024. In other words, this is not an outside hire parachuting in, but a leader already embedded in the parent company’s retail and merchandising strategy. (houchens.com)
That matters because Feeders sits at the intersection of retail, nutrition, and community-based pet care. On its website, the company highlights a broad assortment that includes Hill’s Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin, and other premium brands, alongside private labels such as Intuition, Incredipet, and Pure Flight. Its rewards program also encourages repeat food purchases through points and brand rebate offers, giving the retailer a direct role in shaping where pet parents buy therapeutic-adjacent and everyday nutrition products. (feederspetsupply.com)
Public commentary directly tied to the appointment was limited in open sources, but Houchens’ prior statements offer a clue to how Knies is viewed internally. In January, the company called him an “industry veteran” with broad experience across operations, sales, and merchandising, and quoted him as saying his passion is working with great people toward a shared goal of success. That background suggests Feeders may prioritize execution, category management, and store-level consistency under his leadership. This is an inference based on his past roles, rather than a stated strategic roadmap. (houchens.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, regional pet retailers like Feeders can materially influence client behavior, especially around diet selection, refill convenience, preventive care purchases, and rescue adoption touchpoints. Feeders says it has worked with more than 40 rescue and adoption organizations and helped more than 175,000 pets find homes through in-store adoptions. If Knies pushes further into scale, private-label development, or loyalty-driven retention, clinics may see shifts in how pet parents compare veterinary recommendations with retail options, particularly for premium diets and wellness products. (feederspetsupply.com)
There’s also a competitive angle. Feeders’ footprint across six states gives it enough regional density to shape local pet care ecosystems without being a national big-box player. For practices in those markets, that can mean both opportunity and pressure: opportunity if the company deepens community partnerships and pet parent education, pressure if merchandising and promotions pull more routine nutrition spending into retail channels. The employee-owned positioning may also resonate with communities that value local identity, even as the business grows under a larger corporate umbrella. (feederspetsupply.com)
What to watch: The next signals will likely be practical rather than dramatic: whether Feeders changes its store growth pace, adjusts brand mix, expands private labels, or deepens loyalty and adoption programming. Veterinary teams in Feeders markets should also watch for any new marketing around nutrition, wellness products, and community partnerships, since those moves could affect both client expectations and referral-adjacent relationships. (feederspetsupply.com)