Walmart‘s latest venture into healthcare involves four-legged patients.
The retailer announced in a press release on Thursday September 20 the launch of its first pet service centerbased in Dallas, Georgia.
“We know pet services are essential for pet parents, but for many the experience can be expensive and disjointed,” said Walmart’s vice president of pet merchandising. Kaitlyn Shadiow wrote in the press release. “At Walmart, we have the opportunity to help our customers save valuable money, time and effort by providing them with a pet services destination in the same place they purchase their pet food and supplies .”
The new operation will offer pet services in a dedicated storefront, such as routine veterinary care – which includes vaccinations, wellness exams and minor medical services – self-service dog grooming and bathing. service, according to the press release.
The center will serve as a pilot project and the model could expand to other communities, the release said. The company already offers in-store veterinary clinics in more than 65 stores across the country, owned and operated by PetIQ. It also stocks pet medications in its pharmacies.
“And for an even smoother experience, a new online pet pharmacy experience will soon be available on Walmart.com and the Walmart app,” the release said.
Earlier this year, Walmart joined the promising group pet telehealth sector by offering Walmart+ members one year of free subscription to the veterinary telehealth platform Dad.
Walmart operates a pet health care market worth at least $43 billion, as Mita Malhotravice president and general manager of Soft Pharmacy and Healthcare, told PYMNTS earlier this year. However, there is still room for growth, with only a handful of states allowing full virtual veterinary services.
At the same time, other players are looking to enter the pet health market, such as March. CEO Poul Weichrauch projected earlier this year that the company’s growth rate pet care business will eventually outstrip its candy sales due to the changing role of pets in our lives.
“Forty years ago, a pet lived in the garden,” Weichrach said in March. Now, “80% of millennials in the United States sleep in the same bed as their dog.”
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