Pet Product News - May 2016

Introducing
NEW Proper
Toppers

Proper Toppers™ are 100% human grade, limited ingredient, superfood bites that can be used as a ready-to-eat nutritional boost to a pets’ food, served as a complete and balanced meal or used as a tempting treat. Proper Toppers helps boost taste ( perfect for picky eaters) and adds whole food nutrition to each bowl.

Proper Toppers contain absolutely no ingredients from China and are 100 percent human grade—made from sustainably raised meat (free-range chicken or cage-free turkey), blueberries, pumpkin, apples and chard (plus vitamins and minerals).

Like The Honest Kitchen’s classic
diets, Proper Toppers are gently
dehydrated to remove only the
moisture and to retain the ma-
jority of natural nutrients found
in fresh, whole foods. The process
protects the natural pigments
(phytonutrients) in the ingredi-
ents, keeping the food vibrant,
colorful and much healthier
than processed pet foods. Prop-
er Toppers are offered at a price
point that’s more affordable than
freeze-dried alternatives and sold
especially well when merchan-
dised directly alongside other
freeze-dried and air-dried items.
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Make a Pet Food Plan
Strategically placing food within your store can lead to greater add-on sales,
more trials of new diets and a better shopping experience for the consumer.

PRODUCT MERCHANDISER FOCUS

BY HILARY DANINHIRSCH

Pet food—the heart of the pet supply store—most of- ten is the primary reason that customers enter your store. Some pet owners are brand loyal and make a beeline directly for their tried-and-true food; others are interested in exploring myriad choices on the shelves. Either way, retailers must find ways to be on top of new pet food and to merchandise it effectively.

Furry Face in Redlands, Calif., is expanding its freeze-dried food lines for both dogs and cats.

“Our newest raw is Raw Bistro, which uses all organic and grass-fed/finished, free-range ingredients,” said owner Lorin Grow. “It’s been available elsewhere in the country, but it’s [fairly] new to the West Coast.

“We also brought in a new kibble called Open Farm, which is actually certified humane— something not often seen, especially in pet foods, and a certification we’re very excited about,” she added.

Especially for Pets, which has several stores in the Greater Boston area, recently began stocking Acana Heritage formulas due to its quality ingredients, responsible sourcing and pricing, said Colby Greenhalgh, store manager. Other newer products being carried in the stores include Weruva dry dog food in six flavors and Primal Pet Foods’ venison freeze-dried flavor, she said.

“Open Farm has been in our assortment for about a year, and it is really starting to pick up now,” Greenhalgh added.

To keep up with consumer preferences, manufacturers regularly add to their existing lines. For example, last November, Fromm Family Foods in Mequon, Wis., introduced two grain-free recipes: Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Hasen Duckenpfeffer for dogs and Fromm Hasen Duckenpfeffer for cats.

“Both recipes pay homage
to our German roots and are in-
spired by the traditional German
rabbit stew,” said Bryan Nieman,
brand director. “They feature
rabbit and duck together with
potatoes, carrots and celery and
are designed to complement the
many other recipes within the
Four Star line.”
In April, San Diego-based
The Honest Kitchen launched
Proper Toppers.

“Proper Toppers are dehy-
drated, ready-to-eat complete
and balanced products that can
be fed as a whole food topper,
complete meal or even as a de-
licious treat,” said Lucy Postins,
founder and CEO. “They’re
made from 90 percent meat plus
healthful, whole superfood in-
gredients like pumpkin, blueber-
ries, chard and apples.”
And consumers and retailers
alike can look forward to a num-
ber of new wet and dry food
recipes for both cats and dogs
recently launched by Wellness, a
brand of WellPet in Tewksbury,
Mass., said Chanda Leary-Cou-
tu, senior manager, marketing
communications.

Just some examples include Wellness Complete Health Grain-Free for dogs in Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal, Lamb & Barley and Whitefish & Sweet Potato; Wellness TruFood Complements for dogs in such flavors as Chicken Breast, Chicken Liver & Broccoli in Broth and Tuna, Beef & Carrots in Broth, as well as four recipes for cats, including Flaked Salmon & Tuna in Broth and Shredded Chicken Breast & Flaked Mackerel in Broth, Leary-Coutu said.

THE HONEST
KITCHEN
SET APART TO SELL

Pet food is the predominant product on any pet retailer’s shelves; any number of categories can be delineated for merchandising purposes.

“We categorize by species and by type or form of food. Kibbles are together, cans, freeze-dried/dehydrated have their own aisle, and then frozen,” said Lorin Grow, owner of Furry Face in Redlands, Calif.

Furry Face also merchandises not by brand but by type or form of food, which Grow said led to a noticeable uptick in sales and positive consumer feedback.

“Clients who have made decisions on what form of food they like to feed prefer to shop that entire category,” she said.

Especially for Pets, which has several locations in Greater Boston, takes a different approach and does display by brand.

“We are giving a lot of space to each brand and each individual SKU,” said Colby Greenhalgh, store manager.

For example, with some labels, Especially for Pets is starting to display cases of cans next to dry food as well as within the can category, Greenhalgh said.

“It is much easier to merchandise, easier to see and easier for customers to shop,” she said. “For example, we have been able to sell Weruva dry dog [food] because customers love the cans. You are getting the customer to look at an item they may have never seen.” Lebanon, N.H.

“We have found that separating the products by brand lends to a customer trying
new products that the brand they purchase may introduce,” said president Curt Jacques.
“Since for the most part they trust the brand, they are more willing to try another offering
from that same brand.”
“With a decline in organic products and an uptick in grain-free diets that so many of
the existing companies offer, it is our opinion that consumers are less willing to trade their
brand for a trend if their company already offers it,” he added. “We thought about separat-
ing grain free, organics, holistic, naturals and the like, but we feel it would be too confusing
for customers to have to shop for the same brand in a different location in our store.”
Another way to set foods apart is by usage.

“We recommend that items be merchandised by consumers’ intent to use,” said Lucy Postins, founder and CEO of The Honest Kitchen in San Diego. “For example, Proper Toppers should be merchandised with freeze dried, since the usage is so similar. Our best retailers also locate dehydrated, freeze-dried foods in one category set, close to the freezer section. This creates a ‘health food’ destination within the store that’s easier for shoppers to navigate.”