Connecticut › Retail trade › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Sponsored by Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc., Norwalk, CT
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
In the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan covered 197 participants and held −$4.7M in net assets. The plan is an employee stock ownership plan sponsored by Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc. of Norwalk, Connecticut.
The employer contributed $887K during the year, or $5,760 per active participant against a same-size median of $2,447; participants contributed —. Benefits paid out totalled $7,245.
The filing reports no service provider compensation on Schedule C. That is common where fees are paid by the employer or taken from investment returns, neither of which appears there. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $0.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from −$11.2M in 2022 to −$4.7M in 2024 (), and participants from 159 to 197 (up 24%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | — | $60,185 | $36,708 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $5,760 | $2,447 | $999 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | — | $194 | $121 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | — | 0.32% | 0.36% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | — | $176 | $114 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (21,996 plans), retail trade (3,794) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 197 | −$4.7M | −$23,787 | $887K | — | $0 |
| 2023 | 178 | −$7.3M | −$40,893 | $2.6M | — | $0 |
| 2022 | 159 | −$11.2M | −$70,748 | $1.2M | — | $0 |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year−$7,279,295
- Employer contributions$887,089
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$2,375,459
- Total income, including investment results$2,895,459
- Benefits paid$7,245
- Administrative expenses$0
- Total expenses$302,619
- Net income$2,592,840
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year−$4,686,455
Participants
- Active participants154
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits2
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits40
- Participants with account balances189
- Total participants, end of year197
Fees and service providers
No service provider organisations are listed on Schedule C for this plan year.
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Employer securities$3.6M · 100.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmForvis Mazars, LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $1,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2PLeveraged ESOP3IPlan requiring that all or part of employer contributions be invested and held in employer securities
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 453910: Pet & Pet Supplies Stores.
Similar plans in Connecticut
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Motorcars, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Miller Motorcars, Inc. | 209 | $27.9M | $133,344 |
| Energy Management Professionals LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Energy Management Professionals | 196 | $10.4M | $52,834 |
| Dan Perkins Group 401(k) Savings Plan | Dan Perkins Subaru, Inc. | 210 | $10.8M | $51,298 |
| Premier Auto Group 401(k) Plan | Premier Automotive | 194 | $5.1M | $26,062 |
| Ingersoll Auto of Danbury 401(k) Plan | BG of Danbury LLC DBA Ingersoll Auto of Danbury | 216 | $15.4M | $71,469 |
| Stew Leonard's Management Retirement Plan | Stew Leonard's | 188 | $29.9M | $159,218 |
Defined contribution plans in retail trade closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan?
197 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 154 were active employees, with net assets of −$4,686,455. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 21,996 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc. contribute per participant?
The filing reports $887,089 in employer contributions for the year, which is $5,760 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $2,447 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports no provider compensation for the year. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $0. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Best Friends Pet Care Holdings, Inc.. The financial statements were audited by Forvis Mazars, LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 14 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 83-2710652, plan 002, received 14 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.