On the Shelf.
Categories, velocity, and merchandising — what's moving on specialty shelves and why.
PET AI Is Launching at SuperZoo and You Cannot Buy It
The new AI platform debuts at SuperZoo with three closed pilots. What that structure tells you about where the category actually is.
4 min read · Jul 23
BetterBone's Four-Country Push Signals Specialty's Next Margin Threat
When a brand goes global before saturating the channel that built it, you're not a partner, you're a proof of concept.
5 min read · Jul 22
The One Forecast Every Pet Retailer Should Read Before Reordering Senior Dog and Kitten SKUs
CATalyst's updated forecast held. Puppy visits down 10.5% YoY, kitten visits up 1.3%. The demographic shift is real, and your assortment decisions should reflect it.
6 min read · Jul 22
Store Brands Hit 23.8% Unit Share as National Brands Lost Volume
PLMA's midyear data shows store brands hit an all-time high in unit share while national brands declined. The pet care number is the one to watch.
6 min read · Jul 21
Freshpet Names New President as Co-Founder Steps Back After 20 Years
Scott Morris is moving to an advisory role. Nicki Baty takes over as President and COO. What that means for the refrigerated set.
4 min read · Jul 21
A Pet Product Sells on TikTok Shop UK Every 15 Seconds
One pet product sells every 15 seconds on the platform. Mars posted 454% growth. That velocity reaches specialty.
5 min read · Jul 21
Austin and Kat Bets Mushroom Powders Can Carry Margin CBD Used To
The Seattle CBD brand launched a full mushroom line at the same price point, betting retailers stock a second wellness category without cannibalizing the first.
6 min read · Jul 21
Vetericyn Bundles Common Complaints Into Kits, And Bets You'll Stock Them
The company grouped its products into problem-first bundles. Whether that lifts revenue or fragments shelf space turns on one thing.
5 min read · Jul 20
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