SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION  
   
Washington, D.C. 20549  
_______________  
   
SCHEDULE 13D/A
 
INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN STATEMENTS FILED PURSUANT
TO RULE 13d-1(a) AND AMENDMENTS THERETO FILED PURSUANT TO
RULE 13d-2(a)
 
Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. 3)
 

PetSmart, Inc.

(Name of Issuer)
 

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

(Title of Class of Securities)
 

716768106

(CUSIP Number)
 

Marc Weingarten, Esq.

Eleazer Klein, Esq.

919 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022

(212) 756-2000

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person
Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)
 

August 12, 2014

(Date of Event which Requires
Filing of this Schedule)

 

If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of Rule 13d-1(e), 13d-1(f) or 13d-1(g), check the following box. [ ]

NOTE: Schedules filed in paper format shall include a signed original and five copies of the schedule, including all exhibits. See Rule 13d-7 for other parties to whom copies are to be sent.

 

(Continued on following pages)

(Page 1 of 4 Pages)

--------------------------

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

 

 
CUSIP No. 716768106SCHEDULE 13D/APage 2 of 4 Pages

 

1

NAME OF REPORTING PERSON

JANA PARTNERS LLC

2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP

(a) ¨

(b) ¨

3 SEC USE ONLY
4

SOURCE OF FUNDS

AF

5 CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDING IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) or 2(e) ¨
6

CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

Delaware

NUMBER OF
SHARES
BENEFICIALLY
OWNED BY
EACH
REPORTING
PERSON WITH
7

SOLE VOTING POWER

9,694,002

8

SHARED VOTING POWER

0

9

SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER

9,694,002

10

SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

0

11

AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH PERSON

9,694,002

12 CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES ¨
13

PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11) (see Item 5)

9.8%

14

TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON

IA

         

 

 

 
CUSIP No. 716768106SCHEDULE 13D/APage 3 of 4 Pages

 

This Amendment No. 3 ("Amendment No. 3") amends and supplements the statement on Schedule 13D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on July 3, 2014 (the "Original Schedule 13D") as amended by Amendment No. 1 filed on July 29, 2014 ("Amendment No. 1") and Amendment No. 2 filed on August 4, 2014 ("Amendment No. 2" and together with the Original Schedule 13D, Amendment No. 1 and this Amendment No. 3, the "Schedule 13D") with respect to the shares ("Shares") of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of PetSmart, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Issuer").

 

Item 4. PURPOSE OF TRANSACTION.

 

Item 4 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by the addition of the following:

 

On August 12, 2014, the Reporting Person sent a letter to the Issuer, attached hereto as Exhibit E and incorporated herein by reference. 

 

Item 5. INTEREST IN SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY.

 

Paragraph (c) of Item 5 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated as follows:

(c) There have been no transactions in the Shares effected by the Reporting Person since the filing of Amendment No. 2.

 

Item 7. MATERIAL TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS.

 

Item 7 of the Schedule 13D is being amended and supplemented by the addition of the following:

 

Exhibit E: Letter dated August 12, 2014 sent by the Reporting Person to the Issuer.

 

 
CUSIP No. 716768106SCHEDULE 13D/APage 4 of 4 Pages

 

SIGNATURES

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

Dated: August 12, 2014

 

 

 

 

    JANA PARTNERS LLC
       
       
    By: /s/ Jennifer Fanjiang
    Name:   Jennifer Fanjiang
    Title: General Counsel
     
       
       
       
       
         
       
       
           

 

 

 


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August 12, 2014

 

Board of Directors

PetSmart, Inc.

19601 North 27th Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85027

Attention: David K. Lenhardt, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

JANA Partners LLC (“we” or “us”) and other shareholders have called upon PetSmart, Inc. (“PetSmart” or the “Company”) to conduct a review of all strategic alternatives, including a sale, to maximize value following years of underperformance for shareholders (our prior letters and additional analysis can be found at www.JANAPetmAnalysis.com). So far, PetSmart has resisted such a fulsome review and has instead proposed standalone options that are unlikely to generate as much value as a sale given its numerous operating and strategic challenges, and unsuccessfully attempted to convince the market that there is lack of interest from potential buyers. Now it appears that the board of directors (the “Board”) is redoubling its efforts to avoid a genuine strategic review of all options to unlock value for shareholders.

 

Specifically, we have learned from shareholders that the Company held a town hall meeting for employees last week where it exhorted them to enhance upcoming quarterly results in anticipation of a proxy contest with us. This follows commentary from analysts at Cleveland Research Company noting that the Company “looks to be compressing gross margin to fund incremental promotional activity in 2Q” (which ended on July 31st) “with more aggressive activity planned” for the second half of fiscal 2014, and that the Company “has been much more willing to compress margin to fund incremental promotions.”i

 

It is highly ironic that a company whose shareholders are as dissatisfied and whose directors are as vulnerable based on their individual track records as PetSmart’s is now pinning its hopes on winning a proxy contest. More importantly, though, this effort to boost short-term results indicates an unacceptable preference on the Board for self-preservation over shareholder value creation. In fact, we are highly concerned that PetSmart may be engaging in this short-term promotional activity for the sake of manufacturing a few good quarters at the expense of the long term health and value of the business. Conversely, if the Board honestly believes these promotional moves will enhance long-term shareholder value, we question why they only began in earnest after the Company began to face shareholder pressure.

 

More generally, this continued effort to avoid a fulsome review of all strategic options creates the disturbing impression that the Board knows where such a review would lead, and is seeking to avoid the obvious outcome. If the Board’s sole goal were to maximize value for shareholders, there would be no downside to embarking on a full review of all possible means of doing so, including engaging with potential acquirers.

 
 

Only a Board that fears the most likely outcome of such a review, which is that a sale represents the optimal outcome for shareholders, would seek this vigorously to avoid one. It is perhaps not surprising, however, that this Board would place such little value on shareholder value creation, given that it appears based on a review of public filings that none of its members have purchased a single PetSmart share in an open market transaction in almost eight years and that of the last 187 open market transactions by Board members, 186 of them have been sales.

 

Based on our years of experience advocating for change at underperforming companies, we can say with confidence that there is only one way for the Board to avoid shareholder judgment at next year’s annual meeting: Do the right thing for them now by beginning a full strategic review including engaging with potential buyers. Rather than girding for a battle it will certainly lose given PetSmart’s long-running underperformance and widespread shareholder discontent, it is time for the Board to demonstrate that it is willing to do whatever it takes to generate maximum shareholder value. Any other approach will be of short-term value at best, and ultimately self-defeating. Should you wish to discuss this matter further, you may reach us at (212) 455-0900.

 

Sincerely,

 

/s/ Barry Rosenstein

 

Barry Rosenstein

Managing Partner

JANA Partners LLC

 

 


i “PETM: Sales Modestly Better Past 1-2 Months Driven by Increased Promotions, Likely Pressuring Margin”; Scott Bender & Rusty Wilson; Cleveland Research Company; August 1, 2014.