So many of you say you struggle to build this area of your business. We asked Jennifer and Allen Larsen of Firehouse Pet Shop in Wenatchee, WA, to share what they’ve learned while growing their cat department. Thanks to an expansion in November 2020, kitty customers now have 1,100 of the store’s 7,700 square feet all to themselves. These sales make up 20% of total revenue and have grown 48% on average year over year since the upgrade. The Larsens recommend these strategies to see your cat sales grow.
Kitty customers at Firehouse Pet Shop have a department all to themselves.
Have a true cat department. “Immediately after the expansion, we heard from several customers that they loved having their own area and space and not having to go through all of the dog stuff. Our cat raw, for example, is in its own freezer next to cat food, not on a shelf or two mixed in with dog. Cat customers want variety, fun and unique products, and to feel like they matter.”
Buy, merchandise and price with cats and their people in mind. “They shop cans specifically, so we have them all together and offer a large assortment as cats are picky. We also offer a ‘Buy 10, Get 1 Free’ with mix and match, which really brings in that customer. We rotate toy brands constantly and carry some that are inexpensive, but also some pricey ones from Faire that are unique and not in other local stores. We carry a large assortment of cat trees and put our nicest and largest out on the sidewalk daily, which really grabs people’s attention driving by. Our cat tree selection has brought in several new customers as only the plain ones are at big-box stores. Lastly, we found that dropping our margin on litter, for example, to better align with grocery and big-box, boosted sales. We now have 12 feet of tall litter walls, and it moves very quickly. Our food we keep as low as we can: 25 on big bags, 27 on medium, 30 on small. We’ve noticed some stores are much higher margin, and cat customers will shop price.”
Jennifer and Allen Larsen — They put cats and their people on a pedestal.
Hold cat-centric sales. Many retailers said that customers with dogs and cats only shop for their dogs with them. The Larsens can relate and share how they overcame this particular challenge, “When we first opened, cat customers would shop at the grocery store for cat food but drop $60 to $100 on a bag of dog food with us. We started having a ‘Caturday Sale’ one Saturday and Sunday a month, varying weeks, during which most of the department was discounted. We chose food and treats we wanted to grow, were long on, that were short-dated, etc. Higher-margin items were a steeper discount, food and cans were only 10% to 20% off. People started asking when the next sale was on a regular basis. It got people to try new things, and these became our busiest days of the month.”
Hire cat people. “The bigger piece of the sales growth was educating and building trust between our customers and staff. Once they learn the importance of diet with their dog, they start to realize they have neglected their cat. They eventually have moved to taking equal care. This also comes with having a team equally passionate about cats and their health as dogs. We have several employees who only have cats, and that is their passion.”