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Petco knows that savings are the top priority for consumers, especially families that have welcomed millions of new pets into their homes. The company continues to evolve its exclusive offers to make it easier and more affordable for pet parents to care for the health and wellness of their beloved animals.
While cats and dogs remain the most popular family pets, the United States is home to more than 13 million fish, 9 million bird, 6 million small animal and 5 million reptile households. Petco is the first national pet specialty retailer to offer a comprehensive wellness plan at scale for these pets. We connected with Justin Tichy, chief pet care center officer and chief operating officer for the NRF member retailer, to learn about the company’s efforts to save animal lives and protect the pockets of pet owners.
How is Petco eliminating financial barriers for pet owners?
Our innovative Vital Care Membership Plan is fundamentally changing the way consumers can care for their pets while keeping their wallets healthy. By the end of the second quarter of this year, more than 280,000 dog and cat parents had enjoyed Vital Care’s special discounts on nutrition, supplies, pet services, veterinary care and more — including some of Petco’s most valuable customers.
With the success of the first-of-its-kind health and wellness plan and our commitment to pet health and wellness, this past August, we extended the quality and benefits of our Vital Care program to cover all types of family pets, not just dogs and cats.
With Petco Insurance, our veterinary care insurance offering, we’re helping pet parents provide their pets with lifesaving care when they need it most. Our comprehensive coverage gives pet parents the ability to save thousands in the long run thanks to coverage for a variety of pet health needs ranging from vet exams and diagnostic testing to more serious issues like surgery and hospitalization. To offer Petco customers even more savings, our free Pals Rewards program lets pet parents earn rewards on every purchase, get access to members-only resources, enjoy exclusive perks and pricing, and more.
How has Petco evolved its efforts to meet the needs of local farmers and rural communities?
With our deep commitment to helping people care for the whole health of their animals, and our differentiated omnichannel ecosystem, we’re thrilled to make the health and wellness solutions customers are looking for more accessible through our Neighborhood Farm & Pet Supply pet care centers.
Customers in small towns and rural areas of the country have told us loud and clear they’ve been looking for a one-stop-shop pet specialty retailer with farm and companion animal food, supplies and services, so we’ve set out to meet that need.
Data shows the number of people living in rural areas of the country is growing rapidly, and so is pet spending. After identifying demand in hundreds of geographic locations, we saw an untapped opportunity for Petco, given our unique position to radically expand the selection of high-quality pet services and products in these markets with offerings that are unique to Petco or not available through mass players.
What can you tell us about the Petco Love program?
Our mission of improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners fuels what we do. To create a better world for animals and the people who love them, Petco Love was founded in 1999 as Petco Foundation. Since then, Petco Love has invested $330 million in lifesaving initiatives, including adoption programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, and service animals.
Interested in becoming a member of NRF? Learn more about benefits.
Petco and Petco Love partner with thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country to host adoptions in our Petco pet care centers every single day. Together, we donate our resources to help find homes for pets and have facilitated more than 6.5 million pet adoptions. This lifesaving work is largely made possible by donations made at checkout at our more than 1,500 Petco pet care centers.
How does Petco find value in being a member of NRF?
Our favorite aspect of being an NRF member is the ability to connect our own experts with other like-minded industry leaders through the various groups that NRF offers. These groups allow retailers to share inspiration and collaborate on innovations.
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