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Stop & Shop to pilot DogSpot at New York store

High-tech doghouse provides sanctuary for shoppers’ pets.

Russell Redman

May 29, 2019

2 Min Read
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Photos: DogSpot

Stop & Shop next week will become the second grocery retail chain to offer a DogSpot connected doghouse for pet-owning customers.

Starting June 6, Stop & Shop plans to pilot a DogSpot house at its store in Port Washington, N.Y. The Quincy, Mass.-based chain, part of Ahold Delhaize USA, said the test will run for 12 weeks, after which the doghouses could be deployed at other stores.

Developed by startup DogSpot, the app-connected doghouses give customers a safe, comfortable place to keep their pets outside as they shop. The houses are temperature-controlled, camera-monitored and lockable. A camera feed through the DogSpot mobile app enables shoppers to keep watch on their dog while in the store.

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DogSpot_house_with_card.pngMeanwhile, the structure provides shelter from rain, and its temperature control heats the floor in colder months and provides air conditioning in the summer. Ultraviolet lights disinfect the interior between uses. Customers check their pet into or reserve a DogSpot house via the app, available in iPhone and Android versions.

Stop & Shop noted that DogSpot offers customers an option to the practice of leaving dogs unattended in cars during the hot summer months.

“We know our customers love their pets, so we’re excited to introduce this innovation to our Long Island shoppers as another way to help make their grocery shopping easier and more convenient,” Bob Yager, senior vice president at Stop & Shop, said in a statement. “Depending on the success of this initial pilot, we may roll out more DogSpots in other communities that we serve across the Northeast.”

Related:QFC takes supermarkets out of the doghouse

The store in Port Washington, at 65 Shore Road, will be the first location to offer DogSpot’s newest model, according to Stop & Shop, which plans a kickoff event on June 8. The retailer said the updated model has more space, accommodating a dog of up to 120 lbs., and sports a touchscreen that enables customers to use the house immediately or make reservations.

Last month, The Kroger Co.’s QFC banner was announced as the first grocery chain to offer DogSpot houses at its stores. Plans called for the doghouses to be deployed at eight QFC stores by late May.

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based DogSpot currently has more than 60 doghouses in 14 states, mostly at retail venues. Formerly known as Dog Parker, the company recently unveiled plans to roll out 300 more houses nationwide this year.

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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