Dec. 2013 CASHING IN From St. Patrick’s Day and Hanukkah, to March Madness and Labor Day, holidays can generate serious income PetAge_Cover_Dec.indd 1 11/8/13 12:25 PM Image Courtesy of Gifty Idea Greeting Cards & Such!® Copyright Gifty Idea Season’s Treatings MiracleCorp Products • 800-635-2044 • www.stewartpet.com Made in USA PetAge_Stewart_December2013.indd 1 11/4/2013 4:03:47 PM Pet Age DECEMBER 2013 ❚ VOL 43 NO. 6 4 Publisher’s Letter 6 Editor’s Letter 42 10 Storefront ❚ Pet harness safety ❚ Fetching adds clients ❚ Movers and Shakers ❚ Zukes receives top honors ❚ H.H. Backer wins awards 20 Stockroom 10 28 A Comfortable Space By Dan Calabrese The latest trend in store design is cre- ating a store-within-a-store concept. 32 Behind The Counter By Dave Ratner Business owners should learn how to be both a good boss and a good leader. 34 Marketing For Success By Jessica Farina-Morris ❚ Bird: Travel trends Deciding what you will make your 42 Touring PetSafe business bring in 2014. ❚ Groom and Board: Creative By Michelle Maskaly styling A look at how PetSafe works with bloggers as part of their marketing ❚ Small Animal: Odor control 56 strategy. ❚ Natural: Natural cat food 72 Community ❚ Backer’s Total Pet Expo 36 ❚ Trade show news ❚ Innovation, customer support among top priorities at Cardinal Labs 79 Advertisers Index 44 Trends & Products Features ❚ Dog: Remedies and supplements 36 Cashing In By Jason Kamery ❚ Cat: Keeping a cat healthy Events and holidays throughout the ❚ Fish and Pond: Trends in food year can lead to an increase in sales ❚ Reptile: Snake products, trends with just a little advanced planning. COVER ILLUstratION: KEVIN PACCIONE EXCELLENCE AT POINT OF SALE flexi North America, LLC | 10901 South Commerce Blvd. | Suite A | Charlotte | North Carolina 28273 Handmade in Germany | www.flexi-northamerica.com ❚ Publisher’s Letter Pet Age Vice President and PUblisHer Craig M. Rexford We’ve Come [email protected] 732-246-5709 AccOUnt EXecUtives a Long Way Ariyana Edmond [email protected] Reflecting on a year of change, travel 323-868-5038 and growth. Joe Hubbard [email protected] 630-776-6434 ne year. I can’t believe it. product that services you even better. Brianne Molnar Being the publisher of We encourage you to check out [email protected] O this magazine has been an our ever expanding website, updated 732-246-5708 amazing ride so far, and it’s one I am daily with news as we receive it, to EditOR-IN-CHief Michelle Maskaly happy I have been able to share with help everyone in the industry. [email protected] so many friends. We continue to interact with our 732-246-5722 The opportunity has become a readers through social media to keep Assistant EditOR Jason Kamery dream come true and one extremely you current with everything going on. [email protected] long work in progress. Look for our digital media section 732-246-5734 In this time we have been able to to continue to expand as we provide COntribUting Writers Karen M. Alley, Dan Calabrese, Daryl Conner, go to shows such as Backer, Global Pet more Up Close With videos and Be- Erik Martin, Howard London, Dave Ratner, Expo and SuperZoo. hind the Scenes. Kristen Ryan, Stacy Mantle, Maggie Marton, Erin Salley, Thomas Mazorlig, Jessica Farina But we have also gone to numerous Retailers, we continue to work BLOggers: open houses all over the country and with top manufacturers and distribu- John Cullen, Dave Ratner, Amy been able to visit different manufac- tors on exclusive stories that will only Palmer, Kerry Sutherland turers and see what they are doing in be found at Pet Age, like this month’s ART DirectOR the pet industry. feature on PetSafe and our story on Andrew Ogilvie We have gone to store openings to PetPaint’s appearance on the TV show GrapHic Designer Nicole Composto tour them, and see what retailers are “Shark Tank.” COntribUting Designer doing to better their business. Our staff We at Pet Age are not resting on Kevin Paccione has attended pet writing retreats, blog- what we did this year. To us, it is just Web Services ger summits, reptile shows and aquatic a start of the great things to come. We Joe Barry conferences, just to name a few. believe that there are always constant BUsiness Manager I personally have flown thousands improvements that can be made to AnnMarie Karczmit of miles to meet with distributors the magazine, online and off. Administrative Assistant and manufacturers from around the As the 2014 publication year Jessica Perry country, and that’s doesn’t include the starts, look for Pet Age to continue PUBLIshED BY JOURNAL MULTIMEDIA David A. Schankweiler, CEO places our editors and account execu- coming out with new material, arti- Lawrence M. Kluger, President tives have been. cles, events and information for you What does it all mean? to use to help your business. HOW TO ReacH Us It means we are preparing for an While we gear up for 2014 we also MAILING ADDREss PET AGE, 220 Davidson Ave., Suite 302 event better year next year. We are wish for another, and even more, suc- Somerset, NJ 08873 proud of what we have done this year, cessful year for the retailers, manufac- PHONE: 732-339-3700 FAX: 732-846-0421 but we are not resting, we are always turers and distributors out there. We EmaIL: [email protected] looking for ways to become a better hope your year was just as good as ours. TO SUbsCRIBE VISIT: http://www.petage.com publication, and we believe with all FOR LIST RENTALS, DSA Direct: 973-954-2649 the knowledge we gained in 2013, it PET AGE (ISSN 0098 5406) is published monthly by Journal Multimedia, 1500 has set us up well for 2014. Craig Rexford Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA 17104 Phone: 717-236-2433 Fax: 717-236-6803 Printed in U.S.A. Copyright © 2012 by Journal Multimedia No part of this We hope to provide even more in- Publisher magazine may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent of [email protected] the publisher. SUBSCRIPTIONS: PET AGE is mailed at no cost to qualified formation to the retailers, as well as members of the pet industry. Non-qualified subscriptions: $95 per year in the U.S.; and $160 for air mail (U.S. funds) to all other countries. Back learn more from them and the man- issues are available; contact our business office for information. Periodicals ufacturers. We want to become even postage paid at Harrisburg, PA., and additional mailing offices. more engaged in every available me- dium that we can get our hands on. We want to continue to make a better 4 Pet Age DECEMBER 2013 ❚ Editor’s Letter slow feeder Turns meals into a challenging game Creating a Loyal Slows down fast eating resulting Customer in a happier, healthier dog Relationship building can go a long Ideal for dogs on a restricted way. calorie diet See your dog enjoy working for n my way to work one day Ones that move across town because they his food last month, I stopped at my got married, but will drive the extra 10 O vet’s office to pick up heart- minutes to your store instead of going to worm medication for my dog. the one that might be closer. Through casual conversation, I asked a You might ask how this is done. While question of the receptionist, adding, “yeah, I’m not a retailer, I do know about brand if I asked Dr. I, he would laugh at me.” loyalty, and I also know what made me “Oh, Dr. I isn’t here.” want to jump to Dr. I’s new practice. I said something to the point of him It was relationship building. just not being there that day. And, then We talk about that subject a lot here at that’s when they broke the news to me. Pet Age, not just internally, but also on the “No, Dr. I, no longer works here,” pages of this magazine. In fact, you may The next 10 minutes were a blur of be sick of reading about it, but it’s one of words: the best ways you can separate yourself “What do you mean? He doesn’t from the competition. own the practice anymore?” Being there for your customers “No.” when they have questions, giving I think that was the last thing I clear- them educated answers, knowing their ly remember. Other than that it was now pet’s name, asking them how their day owned by a corporation. My heart sank was and actually caring about them about 50 feet. I couldn’t form a full sen- as a person, helps build a relationship tence and I was in complete shock. between you and them. This was a vet who I grew up with. My vet never “marketed” to me. In He treated every pet in my family. He fact, the only thing I think I ever got from was a doctor, whom I would trust 100 him in the mail was a postcard reminding percent with my dog’s life, and was me about an upcoming appointment, or likely one of the reasons I thought of that Toby was due for a check up. Scan to watch becoming a veterinarian. It’s the philosophy of my friend demo video Later that day I found out he start- Ted Rubin, co-author of the book ed a new practice about 3 hours away.