Lowe’s partners with major pet retailer
Petco’s private brand products including WholeHearted pet food, Leaps & Bounds, Youly, EveryYay and So Phresh are coming to select Lowe’s locations via a large Petco store-in-store concept shop.
The first, beautiful multi-aisle Petco concept shop launches next month in a store in Alamo Ranch, Texas, followed by more than a dozen additional Petco concept shops in stores in Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina by end of March.
The concept shops will have private brand food, treats, toys and more, as well as a highlighted area for the Lowe’s store brand Stainmaster and its PetProtect carpet, dog beds, dog doors and cleaning supplies. Lowe’s acquired Stainmaster last year, saying it was looking to expand the brand further throughout the store.
Internal research by the hardware chain found that nearly 60% of pet owners they surveyed would be likely to shop at a home improvement store for pet needs, and four in five said pets are one of the things that make their house feel like home. The Lowe’s survey said one in three respondents moved to a current home in March of last year and pets played a large factor in how they chose a home.
The data all shows how pets play an integral part of a shopper’s home life, making the Petco partnership a next step in Lowe’s “Total Home Strategy” plan.
“For many of our customers, their pets and their homes top the list of things that matter most, especially after two years spent mostly together within the same four walls,” said Bill Boltz, Lowe’s executive vice president of merchandising. “This partnership enhances the total home solution we offer them by bringing home improvement and pet care products, services and expertise together under one roof."
Lowe’s said the chain has been a pet-friendly retailer but the Petco shop-in-shop locations further the relationship with products and services. Some locations will eventually offer Petco pet services like Vetco vaccination clinics, microchipping, prescription pest prevention and mobile grooming.
Nick Konat, Petco’s chief merchandising officer, who recently closed out a Store Brands Industry Forum speaking about the retailer’s private label strategy, said bringing the retailer’s expertise, high-quality products and veterinary and grooming services helps Lowe’s make it easier to create healthy, happy homes for pet parents and pets. “Our pets’ place in our hearts and homes has never been more front-and-center, and our responsibility to provide them with a safe, healthy and stimulating home environment is an essential part of Petco’s Whole Health philosophy.”
Helping to share how consumers are engaging with the new locations, Petco is asking consumers to share their experiences inside the concept shops using the social tag: #DogsOfLowes.