Distribution.
Distributors, reps, freight, trade shows, and shelf access — how product actually moves from brand to store.
Phillips-Bil-Jac Deal Signals Fresh Pressure on Regional Pet Distributors
A family-owned brand with its own U.S. production went national through Phillips.
4 min read · Jul 24
Why Pet Retailers Stopped Reading Your Trade News
A major pet trade publication sent us to a page titled 'Press Releases Archives.' Zero curation. Zero context. Zero reason to come back.
4 min read · Jul 24
SuperZoo 2026: What 1,180 Exhibitor Listings Say About Where Pet Retail Is Heading
SuperZoo 2026 opens August 12-14 at Mandalay Bay. We pulled all 1,180 exhibitor listings and read the floor as a dataset: the category breakdown, the international manufacturing mix, and what the ratio of brands to manufacturers to tech vendors says about where independent pet retail should spend its three days.
6 min read · Jul 23
Phillips Pet Names New CEO as Founding Leader Transitions to Executive Chairman
Blaine Phillips moves to Executive Chairman after 40 years. Nick Christensen steps into CEO role. What this means for your distributor relationship.
5 min read · Jul 23
Just for Pets Bets Shelf Space on UK Craft Suppliers, Margin Risk or Moat?
The retailer is allocating real shelf space to handcrafted UK goods. The bet: premium local sourcing drives enough lift to justify the operational mess.
5 min read · Jul 23
Pet Supplies Plus Locks Oma's Pride Into 200 Doors. Watch the Margin Math.
A fourth-gen raw brand landed a multi-year franchise deal. That structure says something about frozen's new weight class.
4 min read · Jul 22
Pet Fair Asia Sold Out. What US Specialty Missed.
The 2026 show closed its exhibitor list. Your supplier booked their booth. You haven't decided if you're going yet.
4 min read · Jul 22
What IndiePet's Origin Story Says About the Gaps Legacy Trade Groups Left Open
The group formed because retailers who incubated emerging brands needed operational systems existing organizations weren't providing.
5 min read · Jul 22
Zoomark's 2027 Floor Plan Names the Categories Europe Is Betting On
When a trade show dedicates permanent zones to categories two years out, it's not a guess, it's a supply-chain bet your assortment should account for.
5 min read · Jul 21
ADMC Took Savage Cat National. Freeze-Dried Margins Tighten.
When a distributor commits full-footprint, it is a bet on category velocity, and your freeze-dried assortment absorbs it.
6 min read · Jul 21
The Pet Distribution Roll-Up: Every Deal, 2019-2026
Phillips, Animal Supply Company, Pet Food Experts, and Central Garden & Pet spent six years buying, merging, and re-merging pet distribution into fewer, bigger networks. Here is every verified deal, and what it means for the store still counting cases by hand.
6 min read · Jul 20
Pet Trade Shows Since 2020: The Recovery, and What a Floor Buys You
SuperZoo and Global Pet Expo both went dark or virtual in 2020 and 2021. Five years and several attendance records later, here is what the recovered floor is actually worth to a store or a brand, and how to work it.
7 min read · Jul 20
SitStay Landed Ohio Valley Distribution for Its Chicken Chips
When a distributor stacks another minimalist chip SKU, they're reading velocity data most store buyers don't see yet.
4 min read · Jul 18
Vermont Distributor Bet Signals What Indie Cat Buyers Actually Want
When a regional distributor adds a new cat line, it is a signal about what specialty shoppers expect. Vermont Pet Food's Giddy Kitty bet is the case.
6 min read · Jul 18
Phillips Opened Fall Show Registration Early, and the Timeline Talks
The distributor opened registration for September 2026. The timeline matters more than the show itself.
4 min read · Jul 18
Moodify Is Now on the Same Fulfillment Rails as Your Core SKUs
Moodify Pet landed national distro with ADMC. For a category that was mostly DTC two years ago, that's the signal buyers have been waiting for.
6 min read · Jul 16
BetterBone Cut Wholesale 20% and Left Retailer Margin Alone
Plant-based chew brand says manufacturing changes let them eat the cost. If true, it resets the premium chew set. If not, it's a margin sacrifice play with a timer.
7 min read · Jul 16
Bil-Jac Went Exclusive With Phillips. Regional Distributors Pay.
The super-premium brand consolidated all 10 centers under one distributor. Someone gained leverage; someone else lost it.
5 min read · Jul 16