BUSINESS - Thrive Affordable Vet Care Available in Select Petco Stores

Petco announced a joint venture with Thrive Affordable Vet Care to incorporate full-service Thrive clinics in select Petco stores later this year.

“We know that pet health and wellness are increasingly important to pet parents and critical to the long-term health and well-being of our pets," said Bill Engen, Petco senior vice president.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to providing services and experiences that pet parents want, we are excited to expand our current offerings, which include our existing vaccination clinics, by partnering with Thrive Vet Care, to bring their progressive, 'affordable veterinary care' model to select Petco locations."

Petco is counting on consumer demand for affordable, convenient, one-stop pet care continuing to grow, and Thrive is looking to expand their business.

"Thrive is a rapidly growing team of pet care professionals focused on delivering high quality care to pets and an unprecedented value to pet parents," said Odis Pirtle, CEO of Thrive Vet Care.

"We're extremely excited about the partnership and the opportunity to collaborate with a world class organization like Petco as we continue to expand our business."

This expansion of services is in-line with Petco’s recent acquisition of PetCoach, a digital services company that connects pet parents with veterinary professionals, trainers and other experts for free personalized answers and advice.

It also reflects the ongoing growth in the pet retail industry.

Petco and Pet Supplies Plus both increased their number of stores in 2016, with Petco providing services such as grooming and dog training in some locations.

Pet retail competitor PetSmart also expanded - opening 50 new stores in their 2015 fiscal year and 80 in 2016.

The brick and mortar locations endeavor to draw customers in with services beyond pet retail as online pet supply sales continue to grow.

BUSINESS - Global Pet Expo Just Two Weeks Away

Hoping to surpass last year’s record setting success, Global Pet Expo has sold out of exhibitor space for the March 22 - 24 event.

“We work tirelessly throughout the year to continue to improve the Global Pet Expo experience for exhibitors, buyers and media alike,” said American Pet Products Association (APPA) Executive Vice President & COO Andy Darmohraj.

“As the largest annual pet products trade show, we were thrilled to be sold out nearly a month ahead of the Show opening. We expect Global Pet Expo 2017 to be another record-breaking event.”

The 2017 Show, being held in Orlando Florida, will feature 1,130 exhibitors, 27% of which are international companies, 3,435 booths and 223 first-time exhibiting companies.

With more than 3,000 new product launches, Global Pet Expo will showcase the latest products available for all types of pets including dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, small animals and horses.

But it’s about more than just products, free educational seminars are also available.

Some of this year’s seminar topics include:

• How to Launch and Sustain Your Pet Business
• Five Ways to Compete in a Crowded Pet Market
• Employment Law 101: What Every Employer Should Know
• Get the Most from Facebook Advertising
• The Pet Parent Revolution
• Emerging Media and Technology Trends and Your Customers
• Effective and ALMOST Free: 17 Low Cost Marketing Tactics
• Pet Food Mythbusters
• Staffing Made Simple(r) – Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Employees

Global Pet Expo is open to independent retailers, distributors, mass-market buyers and other qualified media and professionals.

For more information and to register to attend, visit the Global Pet Expo website.

BUSINESS - Top 25 Pet Retailers

The pet market has experienced more than 20 years of consecutive sales growth and Pet Business Magazine has released its latest edition of the top businesses in that sector.

Their Top 25 Pet Retailers are ranked based on the number of outlets they operate in North America.

The story of 2016’s leaders? Expansion.

The number of stores encompassed by the Top 25 grew by more than 500 units over the past 12 months, which represents a 10 percent increase since the last edition of the list was compiled in early 2016.

Clearly expansion is an accelerating trend - the Top 25 store count only grew by five percent over the previous 10 years.

For the first time, numbers one and two on the list, PetSmart and Petco, were not responsible for adding the most stores.

Number three, Markham Ontario based Pet Valu opened the most stores with 150.

There were also a number of mergers/acquisitions in 2016 which contributed to the growth of companies.

Rounding out the top five are Pet Supplies Plus and Canadian-based Global Pet Foods.

As well as opening more stores, industry leaders like PetSmart are focusing on ecommerce and service expansion with revamped store concepts.

Bentley’s Pet Stuff, Kriser’s and Earthwise Pet Supplies are all new additions to the list this year.

See all of the Top 25 - read the entire article.

BUSINESS - PetSmart Adds Mood Music for Pets and Sales

People are used to the being serenaded by “muzak,” that ubiquitous music first found in elevators and now found everywhere from grocery stores to call centres.

Now PetSmart will be bringing their own mood music to each of their 1450+ stores and PetsHotel boarding facilities.

PetSmart has hired Mood Media to develop playlists that will appeal to customers and employees in their stores.

The PetsHotel locations will have “modern mellow tunes” to help keep their animal guests calm, and these playlists will also be used when rescue groups host adoption events at PetSmart locations.

Although music for human shoppers is pretty standard, introducing music for companion animals is fairly new.

But there is science to support PetSmart’s move to use music in their PetsHotel facilities and during adoption events.

Pets do appreciate music, and they are particularly interested in species-specific music. The right sounds can have a positive effect on animals, helping keep them calm even in stressful situations.

Some animals, including dogs, appreciate sounds in the same range that humans do.

Charles Snowdon, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert in animal responses to music, told National Geographic that music made for humans has “positive effects on dogs, elephants, and chimpanzees, and negative or no effects on gibbons, baboons, horses, and lambs.”

The reason is that animals prefer music with rhythms and tempos similar to what they find within their own species.

So cats prefer music that includes the pitch changes and sliding vocalizations that they’re used to, and tamarins prefer music that has a quicker tempo to match the tempo of their calls, which is much faster than human speech.

The right music can even increase egg production in chickens and milk production in dairy cows, and despite the fact that animals often prefer species-specific music, there is evidence of empathetic responses when listening to cross-species songs.

One can assume the decision to play specific types of music is as much for PetSmart's retail business as it is for the animals.

Numerous studies have shown that different types of background music can impact sales, with low tempo music increasing purchases in retail stores and restaurants, and classical music inspiring shoppers to buy more expensive merchandise.

Mood Media global senior vice president, Danny Turner, told CBS that they were searching for “a solution that combined both organic textures and atmospheric styles.”

Mood Media is a global company that supplies music for high end spas and hotels throughout the world, and PetSmart is counting on them bringing the same attention to detail and quality to this project.

“Muzak” has become a term associated with any background music found in public spaces, but the word comes from Muzak, the company that first popularized music in elevators and shopping spaces in the 1930s and 1940s. Mood Media purchased Muzak Holdings in 2011.

By Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

BUSINESS - Largest SuperZoo Ever

World Pet Association (WPA), producer of SuperZoo, proclaimed their 2016 trade show the largest ever.

SuperZoo was held in Las Vegas and had a more than four percent increase in attendees and eight percent increase in companies attending over 2015, as well as nearly 1,200 exhibitors participating.

Attendees had had 820 products to choose from when voting on the best new products in the showcase.

Over 90 education sessions covered a wide variety of topics including: staff training, human resources, leadership, social media, customer service and marketing, and more.

“The quality and depth of SuperZoo’s speakers, education sessions, attendees and exhibitors was incredible,” says Doug Poindexter, president of WPA. “SuperZoo is continually evolving and growing to meet the needs of pet retailers as well as the trends in the industry and this year demonstrated WPA’s sustained commitment to contributing to the pet industry’s continued success.”

SuperZoo wasn’t the only successful pet retail trade show this year, Global Pet Expo also broke attendance and participation records.

Interzoo, held in Germany, reported their largest event ever in June 2016.

The success of these trade shows may come as a surprise to some considering the economical challenges the world has been facing over the past years.

But it shouldn’t.

Despite recessions, pet spending has continued to increase year after year with a record $60.28 billion in the United States in 2016.

SuperZoo 2017 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, July 25-27, with conference sessions July 24-26.

BUSINESS - PetSmart Expanding

With 50 new stores in the 2015 fiscal year, PetSmart plans to continue its growth by opening another 80 stores in the U.S. and Canada in 2016.

The new stores average over 12,000 square feet with service offerings such as grooming and pet training.

“We are ramping up efforts to expand our footprint in North America and are actively identifying and evaluating opportunities in both current and new markets,” said Brian Amkraut, senior vice president of real estate, strategy and initiatives.

“Our customers prioritize convenience, and we are listening and responding. Our aim is to focus on consumers’ localized needs and we’re pleased to have more opportunities to engage with and serve customers, and to be active in supporting pets and pet parents in these communities.”

PetSmart’s continued expansion is part of its long-term growth strategy and will further strengthen its position as the largest specialty pet retailer in North America.

PetSmart operates 1,466 stores in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and 203 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities.

BUSINESS - Pet Value and Pet Supermarket Merge

Pet Valu and Pet Supermarket announced that they have merged to create the third largest pet specialty retailer and the largest small format, neighborhood, pet specialty retailer in North America.

The combined business is named Pet Retail Brands.  With over 930 stores, it will generate approximately $1 billion in system-wide retail sales across the US and Canada.

Pet Retail Brands will have an extensive retail footprint with stores from the East Coast to the West Coast and from Miami to Vancouver and is well positioned for continued growth. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Pet Valu was taken private by an affiliate of Roark Capital in August 2009. Pet Supermarket was acquired by an affiliate of Roark Capital in April of 2015.

Pet Retail Brands will remain headquartered in Markham, Ontario and Pet Supermarket operations will continue to be based in Sunrise, Florida.

Ezra Field, Managing Director of Roark Capital, said, “The combination of these two highly complementary businesses, both long established brands with strong cultures and deep commitments to local communities and helping pets, will create the leading community focused pet specialty retailer in North America.”

As part of the transaction, Thomas McNeely will become President and Chief Executive Officer of Pet Retail Brands. Mr. McNeely has been Chief Executive Officer of Pet Valu since August 2009.

“Bringing together two of the fastest growing pet specialty retailers creates a powerful platform to share resources and best practices to support both Pet Supermarket, Pet Valu and their loyal customers. I look forward to working with all of the employees and suppliers of Pet Supermarket as well as Pet Valu franchisees to grow these brands, which have been providing pets with superior products and service for over 40 years,” Mr. McNeely said.

Concurrent with the closing of the transaction, Diane Holtz announced her retirement from her role as Pet Supermarket’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Ms. Holtz joined Pet Supermarket in 1992 and has served as President and COO since 2002. She was President and CEO and a member of the Board since 2015.

“My 23-year journey with Pet Supermarket is filled with wonderful memories of our passionate team that ranks among the best and brightest in pet retail,” said Diane Holtz. “I retire knowing this transaction positions Pet Supermarket for continued success on behalf of all its employees and partners. I am grateful for the support and guidance of the Roark Capital team and look forward to seeing Pet Supermarket continue to grow and delight pets and pet parents alike.”

Improved Value for Clients Through the Petlynx HomeSafe™ program

 Petlynx is pleased to announce an opportunity to provide further value to your clients and partners.

As of May 10, 2016 the cost for a lifetime subscription for the HomeSafe™  registration will be $39.00 (including all taxes). Petlynx has not adjusted their online pricing since the initial launch of the HomeSafe™ program, well over 6 years. All pricing for affiliates and partners will remain the same, though it is being reviewed.  

“We continue to provide the lowest cost, automated registry service, and the only service that houses all animal records with the information owned and maintained by the owner.” Larry Evans, Managing Director, Petlynx. 

HomeSafe™ provides the only online automated recovery system that allows all members of the community to post their own lost and found reports. It facilitates instant sharing of pet information among the general public and organizations in the community and across North America when a pet goes missing.

The value provided by the HomeSafe™ service is even greater when you look at the costs over the lifetime of a pet - it is less than pennies a day, well worth the investment to ensure protection for a pet and peace of mind for your client.  

By offering the lifetime registration you are significantly improving the value for your clients, this in turn improves client retention and elevates the value of your brand in the marketplace; things that every service provider needs to be cognizant of in this day and age.  

Add value to your client service offering, take advantage of current HomeSafe™ industry pricing and provide over $30.00 in savings on to your clients.

Learn more about HomeSafe™

Read more on why HomeSafe™ has become the solution for identification and why microchips have failed.

BUSINESS - PJ's Pets Closing 27 Locations Across Canada

The pet store chain that includes PJ’s Pets, Petculture and Oliver & Pets Co. is closing 27 of its 39 stores across Canada.

"We are saddened to say that we are closing our doors after almost 50 years of serving the pet community across Canada," said Brad Hamilton, Vice President of PJ's Pets, in a press release. "Our business was able to thrive for so many years as a result of our loyal associates and amazing customers. We encourage our customers to take advantage of the extraordinary savings on all of our remaining merchandise."

Store closing sales for PJ's Pets & Pets Unlimited began Friday, April 22nd at the Canadian locations with discounts of up to 30% on all on food, pet supplies, accessories, and more.

The 27 stores that are closing include one in Newfoundland and Labrador, one store in Prince Edward Island, six in Nova Scotia, three in New Brunswick, 11 in Ontario, and five in British Columbia. A detailed list of locations can be found here.

BUSINESS - Marketing to Millennial Pet Owners

Move over Baby Boomers!

The Millennials are poised to lead the pack in pet product and service purchasing in upcoming years.

First, they like their pets - with 35.2% of America's 75 million Millennials owning a cat or dog, compared with 32.8% of Baby Boomers.

Additional data, also according GfK at Global Pet Expo 2015, shows another 20% in the generation report they intend to get a pet.

One reason the group – age 18 to 34 - are predicted to take a big bite out of the pet industry market is simply because Millennials are the largest U.S. pet-owning group.

But findings go beyond sheer population and speak to purchasing habits specific to the generation.

Case in point – 63% of Millennials agree pets should be pampered, according to GfK research.

That and other findings add up to good news for industry catering to pets, especially those willing to capitalize by tailoring to expectations the generation has when looking for pet products or services.

Some things to consider when it comes to characteristics of the generation and how they shop are offered by editor-in-chief, Debbie Phillips-Donaldson (on PetfoodIndustry.com and gleaned from the American Pet Products Association's 2015-2016 National Pet Owners Survey.)

Phillips-Donaldson says:

• What's hot and what's not, often according to celebrities, matters when it comes to purchasing decisions for Millennials.
• The latest and greatest in products/services is attractive and if it's customized, even better.
• Those in the generation are apt to spend more on pets than themselves and like to research products, especially on social media, looking for customer reviews and mobile apps for promotions and discounts.
• They aren't prone to brand loyalty, which means they are open to trying new products, and like to buy products which has proceeds benefiting a cause.
• Other distinctions include a preference for raw pet food or recipes focused on pet health and a willingness to do more to care for their pets, like purchasing dental hygiene-related products to care for pets at home.

A recent Packaged Facts report shows those in the Millennial generation are much more likely than those in the 35-plus category to spend more for pet products and over the next few years.

Those in the 40 to 54-year-old age population (which has a high propensity to own and spend on pets) is expected to decline while pet ownership has typically seen a steep decline after age 6o.

So, the target market – if retailers want to focus on that opportunity – is the Millennials.

Something some companies are trying to work with.

UltraPet, for instance, has Neon Litter which is aimed at a generation looking for “fun, function and the ability to personalize,” while pet food company, Zoic, is pushing affordably-priced, new age pet food created by Millennials for Millennials.

By Nadia Moharib

Nadia Moharib is an animal lover who has adopted everything from birds to hamsters, salamanders, rabbits, fish and felines. She has written about all-things-pets for years and was a long-time editor of a pet magazine in a daily newspaper which featured a Q & A column, Ask Whit, penned by her pooch (ghost written, of course.) The serial dog owner lives in Calgary, Alberta and most days can be found at a dog park picking up after her rescue pooch, Scoots.

The Future of the Specialty Pet Retailer

Some feel online retailers pose a threat to the future of the traditional brick-and-mortar vendors. And while this sector of the companion animal industry may have eluded serious injury in the past, many are starting to feel the pressure as major e-retailers like Amazon.com break into the pet business. 

A recent article on PetBusiness.com describes the threats posed by large e-commerce sites like Amazon and highlights the strategies specialty retailers can follow to keep 'a full arsenal' and fight back. 

So how does the specialty retailer live and even prosper in the shadow of these giant organizations? Some experts say pet retailers are far from defenseless. The bottom line is that brick-and-mortar retailers need to do the things Amazon can't, and sell products that Amazon doesn't.  

READ THE ARTICLE

A Message from PIJAC Canada

September 21, 2011 - Toronto, ON

The city of Toronto has made a decision to amend the bylaw concerning the sale of dogs in retail pet stores. The changes would include:

• City Council require that pet stores provide every purchaser of a cat and dog, a health assessment report from a licensed vet for all cats and dogs kept in the store that receive vet care.
• City Council require that all retailers, including any person or business that sells more than 10 dogs per year, obtain animals from one of the following sources only:
  i. municipal animal shelters;
  ii. registered humane societies;
  iii. registered shelters or rescue groups; or
  iv. from people who have surrendered their pets to them at no charge.
  

To read the amendment in its entirety please click in the link below.

City of Toronto - Sale of Cats and Dogs in Pet Shops

For the last year PIJAC Canada has been working with a core group of city councilors. Despite months of effort to avoid this outcome the decision has been made and we are extremely disappointed. PIJAC Canada believes that reputable pet stores are an excellent source to find a dog and this will continue to be the association's position. Dealing with concerns regarding sourcing must involve educating the public about the right questions before making a selection.

As was advertised in the PIJAC Canada newsletter, we have created a Municipal Tool Kit for our members. This kit is designed to guide business on how to get the jump on issues like this one and deal with them if they are already underway. You can find a link to this Tool Kit below.

We will keep you updated on any new developments.

Louis McCann

Executive Director

PIJAC Canada

Petland tries adoption model in Coventry Hills

According to Calgary's Metro news service, customers at a northwest Calgary Petland store will no longer see puppies for sale in the window. The store has decided to move to an adoption-only model.

Rather than selling dogs and cats in store, the Coventry Hills location will partner with local rescue organizations and hold adopt-a-thons. 
Petland spokesperson Robert Church said this is a trial run for the chain and a decision to have other stores stop selling dogs and cats would not be taken lightly.

“We’re just trying it out at this point,” he said. “We’re certainly not apologizing for having animals in our stores. We think we provide a valuable service to the public by offering them choice and that’s really important.”

Read more

PJ’s Pets ends puppy sales

PJ’s Pets stores announced Tuesday that it will stop selling puppies on Sept. 1.
It’s part of company plan to promote adoption from animal shelters or humane societies.

“There is a great need for pets to be adopted,” said Stacey Halliday, director of marketing. “But it’s a conflict of interest because you can’t sell and adopt out at the same time. It’s a new era for PJ’s. It’s been part of our business for 40 years”

Read the article by Vanessa Lu, posted in the Toronto Star.

PetSmart Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend

PHOENIX (Business Wire) -- PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) declared a quarterly common stock cash dividend of twelve and one-half cents ($0.125) per share. The dividend is payable May 13, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 29, 2011.

About PetSmart
PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company employs approximately 47,000 associates and operates more than 1,187 pet stores in the United States and Canada, 180 in-store PetSmart PetsHotel(R) cat and dog boarding facilities, and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information.

PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products; and offers complete pet training, pet grooming, pet boarding,
PetSmart(R) Doggie Day Camp(SM) pet day care services and pet adoption
services. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3)
non-profit animal welfare organization and the largest funder of animal
welfare efforts in North America, has provided more than $110 million in
grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations. Through its
in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities(R), PetSmart
has helped save the lives of more than 4.4 million pets.

P&G Issues Voluntary Recall of Specialized Dry Pet Foods

In keeping with its steadfast commitment to animal health and safety, on July 30, 2010, the Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) voluntarily expanded a recent USA only recall of a select number of dry pet foods. 

The recall now includes Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas and some Specialized Eukanuba Dry Formula pet foods sold in veterinary clinics and specialty pet retailers in the USA and Canada.

This recall is a precautionary measure because these products were made in a single, specialized facility where it was determined that some products made at the facility may have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. No salmonella-related illnesses have been reported and no canned pet food, biscuits/treats or supplements are affected by this announcement.