Tractor Supply hits store milestone — with plans to continue rapid growth

Tractor Supply Company is moving full speed ahead into the new year.

The rural lifestyle retailer said it has surpassed 2,000 stores and plans to continue its ongoing expansion. The company is set to open 75 to 80  new stores in 2022, including relocating a store this month in Minot, N.D., home of the original Tractor Supply location.

Tractor Supply Company began in 1938 as a mail-order business focused on providing quality tractor parts to farmers at fair prices. Charles E. Schmidt Sr. ran the business from his Chicago kitchen table before opening a retail store one year later in Minot.

In 2011, after 72 years in business, Tractor Supply celebrated the opening of its 1,000th store. It recently celebrated the grand opening of the 2,000th location, in White House, Tenn.

Tractor Supply stores provide a one-stop shop for the community, with a wide range of products that includes pet supplies, animal feed, propane tanks, fencing, tools and outdoor power equipment, apparel, gifts and decor and more. Select locations also feature a garden center featuring live goods and seasonal items for everyone from novice gardeners to professional landscapers.

Tractor Supply is coming off a record year of sales and earnings. The company reported that net sales increased 19.9% to $12.73 billion for the year ended Dec. 25, 2021; comparable store sales increased 16.9%. It also announced that it will build a 900,000-sq.-ft distribution center in Maumelle, Ark. The center, which will be the retailer’s tenth to date, is expected to open in late 2023.

“Beginning with our first store in Minot, Tractor Supply Company established a commitment to meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers, and we have upheld that commitment for more than 80 years,” said Hal Lawton, Tractor Supply’s president and CEO. “By never losing sight of our purpose, we have grown far beyond what Mr. Schmidt could have ever imagined. While we are proud of our history and all that we have accomplished, we are even more excited about the future and the many ways we can continue to support our neighbors who share our passion for Life Out Here.”

Tractor Supply also owns and operates Petsense, a small-box pet specialty supply retailer focused on meeting the needs of pet owners, primarily in small and mid-size communities. At Sept. 25, the company operated 177 Petsense stores in 23 states.