PHOENIX, 2016-Aug-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — PetSmart is pleased to announce the grand opening this Saturday of its new concept store, the PetSmart Pet Spa in Oceanside, New York. The new store by North America’s largest pet specialty retailer features innovative elements aimed at offering an enhanced pet lifestyle customer experience and is intended to test out various ideas for consideration within PetSmart’s 1,460-plus and growing store chain.
The new PetSmart Pet Spa store, located at 529 Atlantic Ave, features a heavy emphasis on pet services and has a unique, modern design with approximately 7,400 square feet of space – a smaller footprint than PetSmart’s typical stores, which average about 18,000-20,000 square feet. According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans spent more than $60 billion on their pets last year, including on services such as grooming, and the new store is intended to draw and gain insights from this important trend.
The store features a first for PetSmart stores, a self-service dog wash where pet parents can bond as they personally bathe their pups. Pet parents can also choose from a range of grooming services where pets receive hands-on care by academy-trained, certified stylists dedicated to making pets look and feel their best. The store’s pet food collection includes a refrigerator/freezer section and is focused on pinnacle natural nutrition – high-protein, grain-free, organic and raw food including such brands as Blue Buffalo®, Natural Balance®, Nature’s Variety® Instinct®, Only Natural Pet® and Wellness®. Also featured is prescription pet food for a range of pet health needs fromRoyal Canin Veterinary Diet®. A high-end capsule collection of pet essentials such as collars, beds, leashes, toys and pet gift ideas rounds out the product assortment.
A coffee bar-lounge area provides complimentary coffee and comfortable seating for pet parents, while pets receive grooming services, or for a break after the energetic fun of a self dog wash. A pet hospital operated by PetSmart partner Banfield® is adjacent and among the largest of its kind at a PetSmart store.
“In order to innovate at retail, you have to try new concepts and that’s really what the PetSmart Pet Spa in Oceanside, New York, is all about,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Like any spa, our Pet Spa store is intended to provide the amenities and comforts to enhance one’s lifestyle, but this time with your pet. This first-of-its-kind PetSmart store allows pet parents to bond with their dog using our unique self-service dog wash or hang out in the comfort of the coffee bar, while pets are being groomed by our talented associates. We are eager to see consumer reaction to the Pet Spa concept, learn from our Oceanside customers and apply that learning going forward.”
Store Details Include:
- Modern Pet-Lifestyle Design – the first thing customers will see when they walk in the door of the PetSmart Pet Spa is an overall modern aesthetic and a circular “concierge” desk featuring a bakery case chock full of baked dog treats.
- Self-Service Dog Wash – three self-service dog wash bays give pet parents an easy solution to bathe and bond with their pet, especially after a day at the beach, which is just a few miles away. The washing stations feature wall-mounted washing and drying equipment and an array of complimentary shampoos and conditioners that address a range of needs from de-shedding to skin sensitivities.
- Grooming Salon – the grooming salon is positioned directly next to the self dog wash area with fun header signage above: “lather, rinse, repeat…or leave the styling to us.” The salon features a completely new and unique layout with five grooming stations anchored by a large circular column with wide, easy-to-maneuver table top spaces for the PetSmart grooming staff – all of whom are academy-trained and undergo 400 hours of certification training. A bathing area with stainless steel tubs allows for washing the pups and a movable kennel area with high-velocity no-heat dryers comfortably air-dry pups after a comforting hand-towel drying. Stools just outside the windowed grooming space allow pet parents to observe their pets as they receive their services. Near the salon is an expanded collection of at-home pet grooming supplies from popular human brands like CHI®, Burt’s Bees®, as well as pet brand, Furminator®.
- Coffee Bar-Lounge Area – seating for 12-plus and complimentary single serve beverages from MARS DRINKS including pressure brewed espresso, fresh-ground coffee, real-leaf teas, hot chocolate, cappuccinos, lattes and more.
- Retail Space – features high-end pet essentials including collars, leashes, beds, toys and great pet gift ideas, as well as all-natural, wholesome pinnacle pet food – a rapidly growing segment among PetSmart shoppers and pet parents.
- Banfield Pet Hospital – is adjacent to the Spa space and shares the same front door and includes its own check-in desk and waiting area. This pet hospital is among the largest inside a PetSmart store and includes surgical rooms, x-ray rooms, a feline room, comfort room and kennels.
Grand Opening Festivities
To celebrate the grand opening of the PetSmart Pet Spa, PetSmart is having a grand opening event this coming Sat., Aug. 20, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Pet parents are encouraged to attend and bring their four-legged friends to join in the fun!
The first 50 shoppers will receive a mystery gift card (values range from $5 up to $50) and all shoppers will receive free giveaways such as t-shirts, pet treat samples, pet toys and discount coupons on services and products featured in the new store.*
What: PetSmart Grand Opening celebration
When: Sat., Aug. 20, 2016, 9 a.m.
Where: PetSmart, 529 Atlantic Ave.
*All grand opening giveaways available while supplies last.
About PetSmart
PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate 1,466 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and 203 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 500,000 homeless pets each year.
Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
Contacts:
Golin for PetSmart Inc.:
Danielle Bickelmann
dbickelmann@golin.com
469-680-2503
PetSmart Media Line: 623-587-2177
Source: PetSmart Inc.