Digital Native Further Grows Its Retail Footprint

Digital native pet supplement brand Pet Honesty has expanded its national retailer presence to 5,000 stores with its recent launch at Tractor Supply, Pet Supplies Plus and hundreds of independent pet stores.

Pet Honesty made its first foray into the brick-and-mortar space through an exclusive partnership with Petco Health and Wellness Co. in 2022. The Austin, Texas-based startup launched at 1,500 Petco stores as well as on the retailer's website after initially growing by selling the pet vitamins on its own website as well as on sites such as Amazon.com and Chewy.com.

Pet Honesty’s latest retail expansion makes its products available online and chainwide at Tractor Supply Company and Pet Supplies Plus, as well as in 875 independent pet stores, including specialty pet retailers PetSense and Pet Suites, with further growth plans in this category underway, according to a news release.

"As the pet supplement market is growing with a greater preference for natural ingredients, Pet Honesty is excited to partner with popular retailers who value our unique, education-focused approach for pet parents who shop the category,” Dan Horner, vice president of sales at Pet Honesty, said in the release. “We strive to assist pet parents in making informed decisions about the type of health supplement support best suited for their pet, both in-store and online.”

Pet Honesty employs an innovative packaging design within the pet supplement category through its color-coded labeling system created to make identifying products tailored to specific health needs easier. In addition, the brand leverages informative in-store displays depicting QR codes and prominent callouts of key active ingredients on packaging fronts to assist pet parents in selecting the most suitable health support for their pets, per the release.

Pet Honesty's dog supplements, available both in stores and online, address a range of health areas, including digestive, calming, hip + joint, skin + coat, allergy and multivitamins. The brand also offers dual-texture cat health supplements, which can be found on retailers' e-commerce websites and in select Petco and Pet Supplies Plus stores. The brand's expanded line of supplement health options at PetHonesty.com.

Pet Honesty cited data from Nielsen that was presented at the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association’s (PIDA) Global Pet Expo, highlighting 2023 trends that indicate true omni-shoppers of pet food drive the most sales and are growing.

Prior to its latest retail expansion, Pet Honesty ushered in a number of changes last year, including appointing Richard Greenberg as its new CEO, receiving a majority investment by New York-based private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners and moving its headquarters to a new location in downtown Austin.