On the Shelf.
Categories, velocity, and merchandising — what's moving on specialty shelves and why.
The Premiumization Decade: How Price, Not Volume, Grew Pet Retail
APPA's numbers show a pet industry that grew from $95.7 billion to $158 billion in six years. Pull the unit-level data from Circana and NielsenIQ, and much of that growth looks like price, not volume.
7 min read · Jul 20
Costco Wants the Chemical-Free Tick Category on Your Endcap
A specialty tick mitt became a Costco value pack. That sentence should make every buyer who carries tick prevention sit up.
6 min read · Jul 20
How Fresh and Frozen Rewired the Pet Aisle, 2019-2026
Freshpet's branded fridges, frozen raw's takeover of the freezer aisle, and General Mills' and Mars' 2025 entry into fresh all point to the same shift: refrigeration became the pet aisle's most contested, most capital-intensive real estate.
7 min read · Jul 20
Why Your Dog Supplement Shelf Drives More Questions Than Sales
Pet parents are more informed than ever. So why are ingredient lists alone failing to close the sale?
6 min read · Jul 20
Vitakraft's Rebrand Won't Fix Your Assortment Problem
The European brand surveyed 15,000 people and promises simpler shelf decisions. Your velocity is the only test that counts.
4 min read · Jul 20
Private Label in Pet Retail, 2016-2026: The Margin Play That Won
Chewy, Petco, PetSmart and Pet Supplies Plus all built house brands into their biggest margin lever over the past decade. What the numbers show, and what is left for a store that cannot build one.
6 min read · Jul 20
The DTC Pet Brands That Came Back to Wholesale, 2019-2026
Bark, Jinx, Ollie, Native Pet, and now The Farmer's Dog have all left DTC-only behind for retail shelves since 2022. A dated, sourced timeline and what it means for the store that stocks them.
6 min read · Jul 20
A 75-Gram Foam Frisbee That Doubles as a Tug Toy
A foam frisbee that floats and tugs is either a quiet win or dead inventory, depending on whether someone can sell the 'why.'
4 min read · Jul 20
The Vet's After-Hours Phone Now Answers Itself
VetRec's new AI answers vet clinic calls around the clock, including the after-hours traffic you have been counting on.
4 min read · Jul 20
Jollyes Grew 8.7% on Frozen Raw and Private Label While Others Chase Premium
A discount chain posted 8.7% growth by leaning into categories most indies reserve for the high end.
6 min read · Jul 18
VETRESKA Paid an F1 Driver to Sell Leashes. Does It Move?
A pet brand partnered with a Formula 1 driver to sell leashes. The question is not whether it is smart branding, it is whether it moves.
5 min read · Jul 18
AI Is Rewriting Your Customer's Purchase Path Before You Update Your POS
A customer walks in asking for a product you don't carry. She didn't ask her vet or a Facebook group. She asked ChatGPT.
5 min read · Jul 18
Marleybones Skipped Specialty and Went Straight to Pets at Home
Nine SKUs, national distribution, no indie warm-up. The move sets pricing and merchandising for everyone else.
5 min read · Jul 17
A UK Prescription Shift Would Hit Low-Income Owners Hardest
New poll shows Rx-only flea/tick policy would force vet visits low-income owners can't afford. What that means for your category mix.
5 min read · Jul 16
Why Chains Are Racing Into Second-Tier Markets While DTC Brands Wait
Chains are opening stores in Wrexham and Kidderminster, not London. If you run a regional store, your competitive moat narrowed.
6 min read · Jul 16
Royal Canin's Fresh Therapeutic Line Is Vet-Only by Design
Mars made its fresh therapeutic line vet-exclusive from day one. That's a channel strategy signal with real implications for your assortment.
5 min read · Jul 16