According to journalist Joan Verdon and Forbes.com, "Petco is looking to capture more of the growing market for fresh food for pets with a partnership with Freshpet to deliver customized, refrigerated meals for dogs."
As Verdon continued to report, "Petco is offering a meal subscription plan customers can order online for home delivery. The new e-commerce brand, Freshpet Custom Meals, will be exclusive to petco.com. Meals will be based on veterinary recommendations for a dog’s breed. age, activity level, and other factors.
"Petco has launched the subscription offer in 15 states, including California, Texas, Florida, and New York, and plans to make it available nationally later this year. [The cost] of the subscription plan starts at $3 per day."
"Currently," Verdon noted, "...only meals for dogs will be offered."
When asked about meals for cats, a Petco spokesperson told Verdon that the company is “continually evaluating” its nutrition offerings.
In announcing the partnership, Petco cited Nielsen IQ, Packaged Facts, and Earnest credit card data showing that the fresh and frozen pet food category is expected to grow three-to-four times its current value, to $6 billion, Verdon revealed.
"Direct-to-consumer sales are expected to drive much of that growth," she said. "The partnership also fits into Freshpet’s plan to accelerate its growth."
As Verdon concluded, in February 2023, Freshpet CEO Billy Cyr at a presentation to the Consumer Analyst Group of New York "hinted that the company was looking to expand its e-commerce offerings, in addition to continuing to grow its retail presence through its thousands of Freshpet refrigerated displays in pet stores, groceries, and mass merchants."
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