H-E-B STORE-WITHIN-A-STORE GOES TO DOGS (AND OTHER PETS)

RICHARD TURCSIK

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- H.E. Butt Grocery Co. has installed an expanded pet supply department in its new store here.

The department is being merchandised as a "store-within-a-store" with a broader selection of nonfood items and supplies than a typical H-E-B pet aisle. Items sold in the department include dog beds, a wide assortment of leashes and collars and pet toys.

Officials at H-E-B's corporate headquarters in San Antonio could not be reached for comment, but a store-level source told SN the Round Rock pet department contains about 3,200 square feet of selling space, compared with both sides of a 72-foot aisle that H-E-B usually allots for pet foods and supplies.

While the Center Store grocery aisles still run front to back, most of the store's nonfood and specialty departments have been placed along the perimeter of the store. Other perimeter departments include cosmetics, health and beauty care, beer and wine, greeting cards, tobacco/newsstand and perishables.

The pet department is merchandised along a side wall, between the H-E-B Drugstore and beer and wine departments. The aisles in the department run perpendicular to the grocery aisles.

"The color of the shelving in the pet department is green as opposed to the cream color used in the rest of the store. And the floor is laid out differently. The tile has paw prints on it," the store associate said.

Since the store opened June 27, the pet department has gotten a "good response" from shoppers, the associate said.

"In our pet department we carry as extensive a variety as any H-E-B has access to," the associate said.