On Sept. 22, Walmart opened its first pet services center in Dallas, GA. The pilot program offers both veterinary care and grooming services.
Veterinary care includes vaccines, wellness exams and minor medical services. Grooming services include baths, nail trims, teeth cleaning, ear cleaning, basic hair trims and a self-serve dog wash.
The Georgia location is a test center and will serve as a learning opportunity to expand to other communities. Walmart plans to expand its pet offerings and services across the country.
Walmart also announced a new “Pet Pharmacy” option will soon arrive on the website and mobile applications.
“Based on our pilot testing, the pet category has been where customers have most eagerly embraced this convenience,” Walmart said.
According to a report from the American Pet Products Association (APPA), around two-thirds of American households own a pet. The report shows that about 23 million households adopted a pet during the pandemic.
Pet product sales are forecasted to grow 6.6 percent to $78.43 billion with the entire pet industry reaching $277 billion in total spending by 2023, according to market researchers.
“But the category isn’t immune to economic pressure as several pet-related retailers, including Petco and Chewy, recently noted a growing share of customers trading down to lower-priced foods,” said Petco CEO Ron Coughlin.
Coughlin noted how the pet industry is “resilient to inflation” because pet owners continue to feed and care for their pets no matter how much prices fluctuate.
“Unfortunately, many pet owners are feeling the burden of rising costs as pricing in the pet category continues to increase higher than the national inflation rate,” Walmart said.
