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QFC takes supermarkets out of the doghouse

App-linked DogSpot units offer refuge for pets as customers shop

Russell Redman

April 30, 2019

2 Min Read
Rose+at+house+Ample+Hills_dogspot_small.png
DogSpot

Next month, eight QFC stores in greater Seattle plan to deploy high-tech doghouses to give customers a safe, comfortable place to keep their pets outside as they shop.

Developed by “pet tech” startup DogSpot, the app-connected doghouses are temperature-controlled, camera-monitored, lockable and self-sanitizing. QFC, a Kroger Co. chain, will be the first grocery retailer chain in the Pacific Northwest to have DogSpot houses at its stores.

Plans call for the DogSpot houses to become available in late May at QFC stores in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Ballard, Wallingford, University Village, Kirkland and Redmond, Wash. The service will be offered free to QFC customers. Dog owners can sign up in advance by downloading the DogSpot app, where they also will be able to find doghouse locations.

"QFC is leading the way in new innovations that span health, fitness and fresh food, and now we're proud to pioneer DogSpot because it enables us to champion our four-footed community as well," stated Suzy Monford, president of Bellevue, Wash.-based QFC, which operates 62 stores in western Washington and Portland, Ore.

"Our primary goal is to offer a friendly, uplifting shopping experience for all of our customers, no matter their situation. These DogSpot houses at our stores will offer a safe and comfortable shelter for our customers' dogs and eliminate a barrier to shopping that pet owners often run up against."

Related:For independents, the pet aisle offers opportunity

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based DogSpot said its partnership with QFC came about through the understanding that Seattle has more dogs than children and 97% of dog owners consider their dogs as family members. Health codes, however, prohibit pets from going inside grocery stores.

The DogSpot app’s camera feed, dubbed the "Puppy Cam," allows customers to keep watch on their dog while in the store. Meanwhile, the DogSpot structure offers shelter from rain, and its temperature control heats the floor in colder months and provides air conditioning in the summer.

When the QFC locations launch, Seattle will be DogSpot's largest city network. The company, founded in 2015 as Dog Parker, is currently engaged in a national expansion, with more than 60 doghouses in 14 states.

Chelsea_Brownridge_DogSpot_co-founder_with_her_dog_Winston.pngDogSpot co-founder Chelsea Brownridge with her dog Winston.

DogSpot recently unveiled plans to place 300 more houses nationwide this year. Its website lists Stop & Shop supermarkets in Port Washington, N.Y., and East Somerville, Mass., as among the upcoming doghouse locations.

"People who have dogs get it; you don't get a dog to leave them cooped up inside all day,” DogSpot Co-Founder and CEO Chelsea Brownridge said in a statement. “The best part of their day is going out on walks around town, heading to the dog park and spending time with you. We're making it possible to say, 'Wanna go for a walk?' more often and more safely than before."

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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