University of Arizona Receives $1 Million Endowment from National Retailer; Funding Establishes PETsMART Endowed Professorship in Retailing and Consumer Sciences.

Business Editors

TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2004

The University of Arizona is pleased to announce that PETsMART, the leading retailer of pet products, services and solutions, has presented the School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a $1 million dollar gift to establish the PETsMART Endowed Professorship in Retailing and Consumer Sciences.

"PETsMART is proud to support higher education, especially in the fields of retailing and consumer sciences," said Philip L. Francis, PETsMART's chairman and chief executive officer. "By funding this professorship, we have the opportunity to interact with a wealth of talent and to help educate tomorrow's retail industry leaders."

The professor named will teach and enhance the research focus of the University's Southwest Retail Center for Education and Research by providing leadership on critical issues in the retailing and consumer sciences field. The person awarded the professorship will be both a strong academician with a background in retailing and a pet parent. A national search to fill the position will begin in 2005.

According to Dr. Soyeon Shim, director of the school of family and consumer sciences, "The University is delighted with the opportunity that PETsMART's generous endowment provides. It is an honor to have such a prestigious research and education focus in our program."

About The University of Arizona -

The University of Arizona is a student-centered university with over 34,000 students. UA is one of the top ranked research universities in the nation, dedicated to preparing students for an increasingly diverse and technological world, and to improving the quality of life for the people of Arizona and the nation.

About PETsMART -

PETsMART, Inc., (NASDAQ: PETM) is the largest specialty retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company operates more than 650 pet stores in the United States and Canada, as well as a large pet supply catalog business and the Internet's leading online provider of pet products and information (www.petsmart.com). PETsMART provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and supplies, and offers complete pet training, grooming and adoption services. Since 1994, PETsMART Charities, an independent 501(c)3 organization, has donated more than $31 million to animal welfare programs and, through its in-store adoption programs, has saved the lives of more than 1.7 million pets.