Petco Teams With Ollie to Offer Dogs Human-Grade Meals

Petco has teamed with dog nutrition brand Ollie to bring human-grade dog food to Petco customers.

The partnership, announced Tuesday (Aug. 15), offers pet parents access to a service previously available only via online, direct-to-consumer subscription, making Petco the first nationwide pet retailer selling Ollie’s products.

“The fresh food category continues to experience incredible growth as pet parents seek out the same high-quality ingredients for their furry family members as they do for themselves,” said Amy College, chief merchandising officer at Petco.

The partnership is the latest example of Petco catering to consumers’ desire for human-quality pet care, a trend PYMNTS noted last year.

“As the relationship between people and their pets continues to evolve, we are constantly focused on customer feedback, understanding trends, understanding what consumers are looking for, and really staying forward in terms of innovation and design and features,” Petco Senior Vice President, Omnichannel Experience Jenny Wolski told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in an interview in December.

Her comments came after Petco CEO Ron Coughlin told investors and analysts that his company was now a “pet platform company” with 1,500 stores and an active customer base above 25 million pet parents.

Wolski expanded on that: “We have such rich customer data, we have a world-class enterprise data and analytics team, and we have a truly one-of-a-kind ecosystem. When we think about continuously building onto the ecosystem and the platform, we’re looking for partners who help fill a need in the pet space” that are also top dogs in their respective fields.

Earlier this year, candymaker Mars said it was aiming to double its sales by focusing on its pet-related business as the relationship between people and pets evolves.

“Forty years ago, a pet was living out in the garden,” said CEO Poul Weihrauch.

“Now, 80% of millennials in the United States sleep in the same bed as their dog.”

Meanwhile, PYMNTS wrote earlier this year that pet essentials “have become the central theme in the pet industry. For example, Chewy in May saw its biggest surge in nearly four years, fueled by the pet products company’s impressive sales performance that outstripped expectations.”

In an earnings release, CEO Sumit Singh said the retailer achieved record-breaking levels in net sales per active customer and sales through Autoship, which offers prescription refills, discounts and scheduled deliveries of supplies.

PetSmart, meanwhile, launched a partnership with Instacart to offer same-day delivery from 1,500 stores in the United States, making it simpler for pet parents to purchase essentials.