RETAILING

Petco to Acquire Pet Food Warehouse: Petco Animal Supplies Inc. said it agreed to buy Pet Food Warehouse Inc. for about $54.5 million in stock, a move that would expand the fast-growing pet supply retailer into the Midwest. Under terms of the agreement, shareholders of Minneapolis-based Pet Food Warehouse will receive 0.2 shares of Petco stock for each of their shares. The proposed acquisition would add Pet Food Warehouse’s 28 Midwestern stores to the 277 stores currently operated by San Diego-based Petco in 15 states and the District of Columbia. No Pet Food Warehouse stores will be closed and none of its employees will be fired as a result of the proposed acquisition, said Marvin Goldstein, Pet Food’s chairman and chief executive. The transaction, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, is subject to approval by regulators and shareholders of Pet Food Warehouse.