(PRESS RELEASE) In today’s increasingly competitive pet industry environment, many retailers are turning to private labels and store brands as the answer. Trends in online, mass market, and pet specialty retail all point in the same direction: more pressure from competition makes it harder to maintain customer loyalty while growing sales and profits.
Despite some efforts by prominent national brands to level the playing field for pet specialty retailers with promotions and other concessions, aggressive competition from mass marketers, supermarkets, and online portals continues to put pressure on the pet specialty retail category. Brands that once were strictly sold through specialty category stores have moved to national chains, thus decreasing their value to pet specialty.
But the biggest challenge to retailers is that it is virtually impossible to find brands that can’t be purchased online through Amazon, Chewy.com, Walmart.com, or other online portals. Price can be an issue, but the convenience of home delivery is also a challenge. Free shipping is often available, and even same day delivery is becoming available in some metropolitan markets. This is a powerful lure to busy pet-loving families, especially younger consumers who have grown up with internet shopping.
With all of these pressures facing them, pet specialty retailers are looking for alternatives and that exploration has increasingly motivated specialty retailers to explore the options for private label and controlled label store brands that are either owned by the retailer or offer contractual exclusivity within a geographical area.
Traditionally, the store brand option has only been accessible to national or large regional chains, but that is changing as even single store retailers are finding a new niche with microbranding through private label manufacturers. The advent of small run digital packaging and manufacturers willing to work as co-development partners for far lower minimum quantities than in the past has opened this new frontier for savvy retailers.
Clear Conscience Pet is a privately held family owned brand that has been recognized as an innovator in the natural pet nutrition niche with 23 awards, the most of any company in the space. These innovations have been seen in food toppers through the SuperGravy brand, in unique proprietary natural chews, and in functional treats.
Seeing the increasing need and the opportunity to provide accessible and realistic solutions to specialty pet retailers, CCP has partnered with XTRA Factors, an experienced legacy contract manufacturer in Ephrata, PA, to co-develop products designed to satisfy the growing demand for top end store brands with unique attributes. Based on the capabilities and expertise of the companies, the strategic partners will focus on offerings in the fast growing categories of food toppers, functional treats with nutraceutical inclusions, and stand-alone supplements addressing all of the key health needs of pets, including mobility, anti-inflammatory, skin and coat health, cognitive health, digestive health, and more.
Retailers and all others seeking to explore private label options can consult with the development team from Clear Conscience Pet and XTRA Factors at this year’s Global Pet Expo in Orlando, FL, from February 26-28, at Booth #6476.
“As APPMA members for many years, we are tremendously excited to be launching this new initiative at the Global Pet Expo,” said CCP Founder and Chief Nutrition Officer Anthony Bennie. “We know that we can offer options never before available in private label, whether for one store or hundreds. Store brands should never be perceived by consumers as generic; they need to offer special benefits, top quality, and be marketed and packaged with the same creativity as national brands. We look forward to doing exactly that for progressive specialty retailers who have decided to take their future into their own hands and change their direction for a more secure future while helping more animals and their human guardians.”