Mars Petcare is helping convenience retailers capitalise on the growth in petcare and increased footfall that many have seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the launch of its ‘Dream Sixteen’ – a reinvigorated range of must-stocks that should form the core of a retailer’s petcare offering. The ‘Dream Sixteen’ will also include three new price-marked packs (PMPs); bestsellers from Pedigree®, Sheba® and Cesar® carrying RRPs of £3.75 – £4.75 price-mark to appeal to over half of shoppers who say they like this format[1].
55% of pet owners have previously stated they fail to purchase in the convenience channel due to lack of choice[2]. Addressing this head on, Mars Petcare has developed the ‘Dream Sixteen’ core range – including favourites such as Whiskas Pouches, Pedigree Dentastix, Pedigree Pouches and Dreamies – to support retailers of all store sizes address choice for shoppers and capitalise on the opportunity of increased sales by attracting lucrative pet-owning consumers to their stores.
In September, Mars Petcare launched its first annual category report – The Rising Power of Pets in Pandemic Britain – which highlighted the significant opportunity shoppers with pets represent to retailers. Spending, on average, 26% more on groceries[3] than their non-pet owning counterparts, these consumers have also been shown to shop more categories, further underlining their potential value. This, coupled with recent growth in the convenience sector, presents a clear sales opportunity for retailers who can offer a broader petcare selection in-store. Traditionally playing a small but crucial role in pet food, convenience retailers have seen sales grow +3.1%[4] – nearly twice the rate of the total UK grocery market over the last 12-month period.
Alex Smith, convenience channel director at Mars Petcare UK, comments: “After a challenging year for many, coupled with a marked increase in pet ownership as a result of more time being spent at home, we recognise that shopper habits and priorities have changed. Reacting to this, we’re adapting our range and recommendations accordingly, working with retailers in the channel to showcase our new ‘Dream Sixteen’ core range. This is a selection of must-stock products from our well-loved brands – Whiskas®, Pedigree, Sheba, Cesar, Dreamies™ and Catsan® – which we have specifically selected to drive sales success for our convenience customers. We are set to inspire retailers with ‘Dream Sixteen’ and show them the opportunity the petcare category represents – we have big plans for the year ahead and look forward to supporting the channel.”
“In addition to rolling out the ‘Dream Sixteen’ we are also launching three PMPs across some of our bestselling SKUs. Offering shoppers great value, Pedigree Pouches 12-pack will carry a £3.75 RRP price-mark. Pedigree is the number one wet single serve brand, and its pouch format is growing at an impressive +33%, making this new PMP addition a must-stock for c-stores. In addition, for those shoppers looking to trade up for their dogs or cats, Cesar Trays 8-pack and Sheba Pouches 12-pack will both carry a £4.75 RRP price-mark. Cesar Trays are growing at +8%, while Sheba Pouches are seeing growth of +14%, and as premium options they are ideal at encouraging shoppers to spend a little more to treat their beloved pets. Having these available in a PMP helps them feel as though they are getting great value from their local convenience store.”
The new PMPs are available now and will be supported with ‘Dream Sixteen’ merchandising advice and planograms from Mars Petcare. The prices on these PMPs are recommended retail prices (RRPs) only. Retail pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer.
[1] IGD 2020
[2] Mars Omnichannel Study UK 2018
[3] Nielsen MAT January 2020
[4] Nielsen MAT 12 w/e 16 May
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