Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) Partners with Nestlé Purina PetCare to Expand Pet Category Reinvention Program

SEPTEMBER 2023—The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) is excited to announce its continued strategic partnership with Nestlé Purina PetCare to expand the highly successful pet category reinvention program across IGA's 1,900 U.S. retail members and their wholesalers. This collaboration will enhance the shopping experience for pet owners and provide additional touchpoints for retailers to engage and educate their shoppers in the pet care category.

“An educated shopper is more confident. Confident shoppers have a better association with your brand, which translates to increased, repeat sales,” said IGA VP Brand Development Michael La Kier. "This initiative is a massive opportunity for independent grocers to show their shoppers that they are not only purveyors of food for humans and pets, but an information source to help shoppers make decisions best for their families, including the furry ones.”

According to a 2022 report by NielsenIQ, pet care is the fastest growing department both in store and online, driven by strong growth across most pet categories. In fact, pet category sales have nearly doubled in the last five years.

The expanded program provides ample opportunities for shopper education. Participating retailers may sign up for a base kit, accompanied by subscription updates tailored to educational content. The base kit includes a comprehensive playbook that offers essential insights on optimizing the pet aisle, as well as tips for assortment, merchandising, and marketing strategies.

To help independent grocers effectively showcase their pet products, the kit provides various signage and digital graphics, including:

• 12 Paw print shelf strips (48″ long) 
• Middle aisle hanging sign (48″ x 24″) 
• End cap headers with dimensional side panels (48″ x 14″) 
• 6 Aisle blades (various messaging) (6″ x 22.5″) 
• Hardware for 6 aisle blades 
• 30 Mini blades (various messaging) (3″ circles)

Retailers will also receive signage promoting the Pet Club Newsletter initiative.

IGA’s new Pet Club Newsletter is a monthly pet-focused newsletter that will showcase educational content, valuable resources, and exclusive offers for pet owners. As the program and resources grow, the newsletter will be published twice a month, providing an even richer experience for subscribers.

“With the pandemic behind us (and with many more pets in households across the country since the pandemic), now is the time for independent retailers to double down on the pet category,” Nestlé Purina PetCare Account Manager Kara Destro said. “That’s why we have expanded the successful pet category reinvention program with IGA: to help independents boost their pet category sales by easily reinventing their pet aisle.”

Realizing the sales potential for independent grocers, IGA partnered with Nestlé Purina PetCare to release a pet category reinvention pilot program in early 2020. The pilot was a huge success: within three months, the prototype store increased pet category sales by 10.5 percent, cat litter sales by 53 percent, cat treat sales by 28 percent, and the wet cat subcategory sales by 20 percent.

Now the updated sign kit and marketing materials are available to all independents, with an expanded campaign set to launch in October to coincide with Nestlé Purina PetCare's fall campaign to support the Purple Leash Project. The Purple Leash Project collaborates with RedRover to make pet-friendly domestic violence shelters more accessible nationwide. By expanding the number of such shelters, survivors of domestic violence and their pets can find safety, support, and healing together.

"We are thrilled to partner with Nestlé Purina PetCare to extend the pet category reinvention program to our vast network of independent retailers," said Ashley Page, VP of Marketing & Public Affairs at IGA. "This initiative aligns with our commitment to providing exceptional experiences for shoppers and their beloved pets. Through the partnership, we hope to empower retailers with the tools and resources they need to create pet-friendly environments while supporting important causes like the Purple Leash Project." 

Both IGA and Nestlé Purina PetCare are excited about the impact this program will have on independent grocers and pet owners nationwide. This collaboration marks a significant step towards transforming the pet aisle shopping experience while supporting initiatives that bring animals and their owners from crisis to care.

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About the Independent Grocers Alliance

The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) was founded in 1926, bringing together independent grocers across the United States to ensure that the trusted, family-owned local grocery store remained strong in the face of growing chain competition. IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of over $40 billion per year. The Alliance includes more than 6,200 stores globally, with operations in 46 of the United States and nearly 25 countries, commonwealths, and territories.

About Nestlé Purina PetCare: 

Nestlé Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world's most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats. Our more than 10,000 U.S. associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter brands that feed 46 million dogs and 68 million cats every year. More than 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and nutrition. 

Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific research, our products and our support for pet-related organizations. Over the past five years, Purina has contributed more than $150 million towards organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as well as those that help our communities and environment thrive.

Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. For more information, visit  purina.com or subscribe here to get the latest Purina news.

About The Purple Leash Project:

As many as one in three women and one in four men experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes. That’s why Nestlé Purina has partnered with RedRover to create the Purple Leash Project. Their goal is to have 25% of shelters be pet friendly by 2025 so that survivors and their pets can stay together and heal together. The Purple Leash Project is unique within the pet nutrition category because it is designed to benefit pets as well as human domestic abuse survivors. It also offers retailers and range brands the opportunity to help people and pets stay together when they need each other most.