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Meijer increases its focus on pet care

A large selection of Halloween costumes for pets is just the beginning

Michael Browne, Executive Editor

October 7, 2019

2 Min Read
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Meijer

Midwest retailer Meijer is expanding its pet departments for an even larger assortment of everyday essentials like food, grooming supplies and increasingly popular Halloween costumes.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based operator of more than 245 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin has made a significant investment in its pet departments in recent years. The pet departments inside each Meijer supercenter recently added another aisle to make room for an expanded assortment of food. The retailer carries dozens of types of pet food, including national brands like Blue Buffalo, Nutro, Nature's Recipe, Fresh Pet and Rachael Ray Nutrish, and private label True Goodness by Meijer.

With Halloween approaching, Meijer is helping pet owners find the perfect costume for their four-legged family members. According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 29 million people plan to dress their pets up for Halloween. Meijer has its widest selection yet with 28 costumes and accessories for dogs and nine hats and collars for cats. New this year, Meijer has XL costumes — including a hot dog, taco, triceratops and spider — for large dog breeds.

“Halloween is a time for the entire family — even our favorite four-legged friends — to dress up for a fun night of trick-or-treating, and we wanted to make sure our assortment rose to the challenge,” said Shana Ward, director of pets merchandising for Meijer. “Pets are integral members of our customers’ families, and we are working diligently to ensure our pet departments remain top of mind for those fun celebrations but also for their total pet care needs.”

Related:For independents, the pet aisle offers opportunity

In addition, at 40 Meijer supercenters the pet departments are now relocated to the back corner to offer a specialty-store feel with spacious displays for products like Halloween-themed pet toys. This represents a 30% increase in space compared to other Meijer stores.

And to help keep pets healthy, a handful of Meijer supercenters have VetIQ Petcare clinics that offer basic veterinary walk-in services like routine shots and treatments for minor illnesses. These clinics are located at the front of the supercenter with a separate exterior entrance that keeps the pets outside of the store.

 

About the Author

Michael Browne

Executive Editor, Supermarket News

Michael Browne joined Supermarket News in 2018 after serving in managing and executive editor capacities at leading B2B media brands including Convenience Store NewsLicense Global and Travel Agent. He also previously served as content production manager for print and digital in the Business Intelligence division of Informa, parent company of Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News.

As executive editor, Mike oversees the editorial content of supermarketnews.com as well as the monthly print publication. He also directs all content-based brand-related projects including the annual Top 75 Retailers report, Category Guide, Retailer of the Year, research surveys and special reports, as well as podcast and webinar content. Mike has also presented and moderated at industry events.

In addition to the positions mentioned above, Mike has also worked as a writer and/or editor for special projects at American Legal Media (ALM), managing editor for Tobacco International, special projects editor at American Banker • Bond Buyer, and as production editor for Bank Technology News and other related financial magazines and journals published by Faulkner & Gray.

A graduate of Fordham University, Mike is based in New York City, where he was born and raised.

Contact Mike at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

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