VANGUARD AWARDS

Thegrooming category has several leading companies such as Best Shot Pet Products, Pure and Natural Pet and Skout’s Honor that continue to put pets’ health first while creating products that owners can feel safe and comfortable using.

“In Q1 we expanded our presence in the cat aisle by launching a Probiotic Grooming line, specifically for the cat customer,” said Jenny Gilcrest, VP of Marketing with Skout’s Honor. “Due to the success and unique wellness benefits of our innovative probiotic grooming line in the dog aisle, our retail customers kept requesting something specific—just for cats. This new cat line adds a wow factor to their smaller —but growing—cat selection of essentials. We launched it at Global Pet Expo earlier this year, which includes two shampoo + conditioners, a deodorizing spray and an ear cleaner. Further, we introduced our first-ever Pet Grooming Wipes—for dogs and cats—which was met with a great response and is now showing up on pet specialty retail shelves everywhere.”

“The popularity of our ‘Happy Puppy’ grooming products continues to grow and expand our brand presence in the grooming aisle,” she continued. “Puppy parents seek out something specific when shopping in this section, and we’re now seeing incrementality from customers who already know and love

Puppy Shampoos & Conditioners

our products for their superior performance and quality—and they are now excited to try this new fragrance option on their new family member.”

Pure and Natural Pet has a number of products in the category that consumers have remained loyal to and keep coming back to as the company continues to put their mind at ease.

“Growth in Q1 was very strong and came from many different avenues,” said Julie Creed, VP of Marketing. “We added distributors, new retailers and affiliates that targeted vertical markets outside of pet centric retailers. We also had enormous interest and a lot of international opportunities from the Global Pet Expo and successfully launched two new products there.”

“Our Tearless Puppy Shampoo is very popular and has been part of our line for many years,” she said. “It is a great starter shampoo for puppies who need extra gentle care. As they grow up and you know more about their needs, our multi-functional shampoos including Shed Control, Itch Relief, Whitening & Brightening, as well as Hypoallergenic, Grain-Free and Waterless are all viable options. We’ve listened to our customers to develop what they want to make pet grooming and wellness easier. We’ve seen a lot of incremental growth in our wellness products that are a true extension of grooming.”

Best Shot Pet Products introduced new products at the start of the year and had an excellent Q1, which the company hopes to maintain for the rest of 2023.

“Best Shot welcomed strong double-digit sales growth for Q1,” said David Campanella, Sales & Marketing Director. “100 percent fulfillment and shorter production turnaround times positively impacted sell-through, fast-tracking Q2’s positive sales projections. Our new product launches were also well received at Global.”

“Best Shot’s introduction of its MAXX Ultra Concentrated Miracle Detangler continues to add incremental sales by thrilling pet groomers within grooming services segment. Expanding our sprayin conditioner assortment has bumped sales as evident with our ‘Ultra Dirty Vitalizing Mist’ launch,” he concluded.