Tradition meets modernity

Dog & Company was the name of the shop when it opened in 1995. One year later it became Shoppingdog. The trading group DMO took it over in December 2009 and turned it into the Isola dei Tesori shop (IDT). The shop, one of three IDT shops in Reggio Emilia, has a retail area of 230 m2 and was completely renovated in 2013 to better reflect the format and display strategy of the chain. The shop offers a wide range of products and accessories for all types of pets, in particular dogs, cats, birds, rodents, fish and turtles. It also offers a complementary professional grooming service. Presentation and products The products are displayed according to the segment and category they belong to, as well as by net content weight, regardless of brand. "In order to highlight certain products more, we always bear in mind that products displayed at eye level are more noticeable than others," says Matteo Ferri. He decided to display dry food for dogs, treats and wet food for cats right by the entrance.

The shop stocks a wide range of products. With regard to pet food, it offers brands like Royal Canin, Hill's, Purina Pro Plan, Trainer and Natural Pet. "As for the accessories, we offer Trixie, Camon and Petup branded products," Matteo Ferri continues. "In the care sector, we have a choice of shampoos, supplements, over-the-counter drugs, nappies, hygienic mats and anti-parasitics by Bayer and Frontline." The best-selling product of the IDT shops in the Emilia area is wet food for cats, followed by dry food for dogs. The best-selling brands are Purina, Gourmet Gold and Natural Pet for cats, especially 85 g packs, and Natural Pet, Royal Maxi Adult, Hill's and Happy Dog for dogs.
"Our proprietary brands are particularly appreciated, especially the Natural Pet one, because of their excellent quality/price relationship," Matteo Ferri concludes. "We are constantly improving the range and the packaging of these products. For example, we add 10-15 new items per year in order to best meet the needs of our clientele." Looking to the future Matteo Ferri and his team noticed that customer numbers are constantly growing but their purchasing power per capita is reduced. The turnover is growing slightly yet constantly, year after year. The last year's growth rate was within 10 per cent of that of…