Dive Summary:

• Retail pet supplies and merchandise has grown at a rate of 3% annually and with no single retailer dominating the sales, many merchants are eager to tap into the market, including True Value outlets.
• "We want to create a culture in the store, and we want to be known as a welcoming place for pets … and customers love that,” said Jim Webb, a True Value store owner.
• Although acknowledging a below-average margin on traditional bags of dog food, True Value explains that stocking the products greatly increases in-store foot traffic.

From the article:

Willis Qualheim, president of Qualheim's True Value in Shawano, Wis., also believes in the drawing power of pet supplies. "If you told me a few years ago that people would pay $55 for dog food, I'd say 'your nuts.'" he said. "But a lot of our sales are in the premium end at $45 and up."