Retailer Celebrates One of its Busiest Seasons with Halloween Costumes, Fall Varsity Line Toys, Treats, In-Store Events and More
PHOENIX, AZ, 2017-Sep-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — Tomorrow (Sept. 22, 2017) officially marks the first day of Autumn, and to help usher in the season of ghosts and goblins and pumpkin spice-everything, PetSmart, the leading pet specialty retailer in North America, is launching its 2017 Fall and Halloween Collections. This year, pet parents will find hundreds of new, on-trend seasonal apparel and accessory items, Halloween costumes, beds, toys and treats to help pet parents celebrate this festive season with their pets. The collection is now available in all 1,500-plus PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Canada and online at petsmart.com and petsmart.ca.
“We know it’s important each season to offer an exciting assortment of products for a range of pet lifestyles. We see our collections for Fall and Halloween as an invitation to all pet parents to celebrate Autumn with all their family members – including our pets,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart.
ED Ellen DeGeneres Varsity Collection
With high schools and colleges across the country now back at school, PetSmart has launched the ED Ellen DeGeneres Varsity Collection that embodies the collegiate and youthful spirit synonymous with campus pride and school sports.
Pup Meets Preppy – The Maroon Ruffle Hoodie Dress, with its college crest and plaid ruffles, is the ultimate Varsity apparel for the preppy girl pup. Bandana collars, a PetSmart top-seller, are also included in the Varsity Collection with the Navy and Gold Two-Pack Bandana Collar set will turn heads for both its style and spirit. Bow-Tie Collars adorned with preppy stripes in blue and navy and pink and gray color combinations ensure pets stay on-trend. Meanwhile, the Maroon Love Comfort Harness and Megaphone Embroidered Dressincorporate pleats indicative of cheerleading skirts.
“L” Stands for Love – With crisp fall weather around the corner, the change in seasons presents an ideal opportunity to freshen up pups’ everyday gear like beds and collars. The Varsity Collection includes two smart-looking beds to provide endless comfort and versatility. The navy and gold Love Hut Pet Bed, lined and padded with furry plush, was inspired by a traditional letterman’s jacket, complete with a bold varsity applique “L” — for love, of course. The velvety Varsity Cuddler Bed gives a nod to school spirit with an iconic megaphone embroidered with the “L” as well.
Halloween Costumes to Fright and Delight
From food-inspired to superheroes and whimsical characters to classic costume favorites, PetSmart is all about fun for all pets this Halloween.
Food and Beverage Inspired – Taking a cue from rising trends on social media and creative DIY-ers, PetSmart presents a Food and Beverage costume collection sure to garner more than a few chuckles and admirers this Halloween. The Coffee Cup Dog Costume, complete with a soft “lid” hat, will make pups the cutest cup of Joe on the block. Wasabi anyone? Sushi fans will get a kick out of the Sushi Dog Costume. What pairs better with the Hot Dog Costume than a costume made to look like a Can of Beer? For multi-dog families, these costumes together can make for fun social media posts.
Superheroes to the Rescue – Superheroes are always a fan-favorite and PetSmart delivers this Halloween season. With the Marvel™ Thor Dog Costumeand Spiderman costumes, kids can bring their favorite superhero sidekicks with them to trick or treat.
Whimsical Enchantment – PetSmart offers a variety of costumes for pets to indulge their whimsical side like Rapunzel (complete with braids), a colorful Caterpillar and Dinosaur. The Halloween Butterfly Dog Wings are an ideal option for dogs who prefer not to sport a full costume as the colorful wings easily slip on and off.
Beloved Classics – Last year’s list of top costumes for pets published by the National Retail Federation included the pumpkin, bee and devil, all of which are returning to PetSmart stores this fall.
Spirited accessories like the “Happy Halloween” Glow-in-the-Dark Bandana, Witch Dog Hat and hilarious Cat Ears make excellent alternatives to full costumes. Tees like “I’m here for the Boos” and the orange spider “Happy Halloween” tee, are ideal for commemorating Halloween all season long. Made of lightweight fabric, these dog-friendly tees are easy to slip on and off and provide optimum comfort on crisp fall days.
Small animals like dwarf hamsters and guinea pigs can be dressed up in costumes like a pirate or unicorn. Fish tanks will look extra spirited with spooky ornaments like the glow in the dark Top Fin® Floating Zombie Head or the Pumpkin Cave.
Halloween Toys and Décor
From Oct. 1 – 31, pet parents can receive a free toy box with any $20 pet toy purchase in-store.* Fill it with Halloween favorites like Plush Pumpkins, Peanuts® Snoopy and rope toys and new additions with candy corn and monster themes. Candy corn, a classic fall treat, is depicted in this year’s toys like the Halloween Flattie Candy Corn and Halloween 5 Knot Rope Toy. Candy corn can also be found on the Candy Corn Bow Tie Collar and on the “Sweet as Candy” dress.
Monsters are synonymous with Halloween, and PetSmart’s take on ghouls, goblins and monsters has a playful tone. The Monster Flattie Toy, with a silly expression and purple fur, is filled with crinkle material dogs love. Plush toys like the Zombie and Mummy have squeakers to encourage playtime. Cats will have plenty of spooky toys to choose from like teasers and toys made of plush material and colorful feathers. The Halloween Wicker Mummy Cat Toy is equally creepy and cute.
Infuse a little pet-inspired Halloween fun into your home décor this season with new pet beds and bowls. Available only at PetSmart, the Cat Hut and Pumpkin Hut pet beds are machine washable and feature an enclosure with a soft, cozy removable pillow.
“Creepy Cookies,” Pumpkin Spice Treats and More
Humans are all about pumpkin spice and so is PetSmart! Seasonal flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon are standouts in this year’s treat collection which includes pumpkin spice rawhide chews and pumpkin flavored stuffed bones. New this year are Pumpkin Spice Flavor GREENIES®. These limited-edition dental treats fight plaque and tarter, while providing dogs with delicious seasonal flavors.
Other seasonal favorites include apple cinnamon-flavored “creepy cookies” in a variety of festive shapes like skulls and bones. Also new this year is the grain-free Wellness® Soft Wellbites Halloween Pumpkin Treats and Ghost Grub dog biscuits from Bocce’s Bakery, as well as pumpkin and sweet potato flavored Chilling Chew Treats.
Attending a Halloween party? Bring your hostess a Creepy Cookies Gift Pack of frosted apple cinnamon cookies for the dogs in her life.
Game Day Essentials
PetSmart offers pet parents lots of ways to tailgate with pets this football season. This year’s Sunday Funday Collection includes licensed jerseys, hoodies, collars, leashes and toys regionally available in-store and with the full collection, starring every professional team, online at petsmart.com.
Can’t settle on which team to outfit your best friend in? Team-neutral football bandanas provide an easy way to celebrate without choosing a side. Bandana collars, a PetSmart top seller, include sayings like, “Sunday Funday,” “Fantasy Football Legend” and “Rufferee.”
Upcoming In-Store Family & Pet Events
Tailgating Event
Sept. 23
12 – 2 p.m. – local time
Bring pups and your team spirit to one of our hottest in-store events of the season. Your pup can enjoy free treat samples and free chalking of favorite collegiate and professional team’s colors or a football Pet Expressions Pet Paint stencil application. Pets who come dressed in their team’s favorite colors can also receive a $5 off coupon for their next pet sports apparel purchase. 2
Doggie Day Camp Howl O’ Ween Event
Oct. 26
All-day
Halloween is taking over PetSmart Doggie Day Camps with an all-day Halloween party. In addition to fun, games and toys, campers will receive a free pumpkin KONG treat and free Halloween digital keepsake photo. Space is limited, reserve your spot on petsmart.com.3
Halloween Photo Event with PetSmart’s Chance
Oct. 21 and 28
12 – 3 p.m. – local time
Dress your pet in their Halloween best for an exclusive photo-op with PetSmart’s Chance! This in-store event is fun for the whole family. In addition to photos with Chance, pets and pet parents can receive a free pet collar safety light, Halloween safety tips and exclusive Halloween treat and apparel coupons.4
Social Media Contest #SpookyTails
Show off your pet in costume! Oct. 13-29, submit a photo of your pet dressed for the Halloween season using the hashtag #SpookyTails! Fans will decide the winner out of 5 chosen finalists, who will be announced on Halloween and will receive some great prizes including a hand-picked selection of spooky toys. Visit PetSmart’s Facebook page on October 13 for more details and the official rules5.
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, together, 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 55,000 associates, operate more than 1,500 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as pet-focused services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart™ Doggie Day Camp™ and pet adoption. PetSmart, together with non-profits PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities® of Canada, invite more than 3,500 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 7.6 million adoptions – more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. The company’s portfolio of digital resources for pet parents includes PetSmart.com, OnlyNaturalPet.com, petMD.com, Pawculture.com, AllPaws, an online pet adoption platform that helps potential pet parents find the perfect pet to adopt based on their home, family and lifestyle, as well as BlogPaws, the world’s first pet blogger and influencer network. Through these digital platforms, PetSmart offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, PetSmart launched its Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™ program in March 2017. For every bag of cat or dog food purchased March 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will donate a meal to pets in need and expects to donate more than 60 million meals in 20176. In May 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy.com, a leading online retailer of pet food and products in the U.S., which operates as an independent subsidiary.
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*With PetPerks® membership. Toys not included. Free Top Paw® toy box offer valid 10/1/17-10/31/17 with purchase of any dog and cat toys of $20 or more, transaction total prior to taxes and after all other discounts applied. Discount of free item applied at register upon checkout. Limit 1 free item per customer, per transaction. Can mix & match any combination of toys valued at $20. While supplies last. In-store only. See store associate for details. Value of toy box $9.99.
2 At participating PetSmart stores. While supplies last. Pet age, health and vaccinations requirements apply. Subject to availability. Excludes NFL, NCAA & MLB licensed Pet Expressions. Chalking and stenciling not available in SC, Boulder, CO & select cities in CA. See coupon for details.
3 Doggie Day Camp is available at select PetSmart store locations. Pet age, health and vaccinations requirements apply. Space is limited. Treats available while supplies last.
4 At participating PetSmart stores. While supplies last.
5 No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States (and the District of Columbia), who are 18 years old (or the age of majority under applicable law). The Contest begins at 12:00:00 a.m. ET on 10/13/17 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on 10/29/17 (“Entry Period”) and will include one round of Public Voting one round of Judging. Entrants may enter with a photo via Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. First place and four runner-ups will be awarded prizes. Visit PetSmart’s Facebook page during the Entry Period for additional details and official rules
6 Ends 12/31/17. 5 oz. dog food, 1.5 oz. cat food donated to PetSmart Charities to feed dogs and cats in need. See details at petsmart.com/giveameal. The actual number of meals donated is based on dog and cat food bags sold. The meal donation estimate is based on historic sales for similar time periods. No guaranteed amount. Rescue Bank and Feeding America will help distribute a large portion of the pet food donation in the U.S.
Contacts:
Danielle Bickelmann
Golin for PetSmart
469-680-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com
PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177
SOURCE: PetSmart