PETRITE GETS PROMOTION TO FRONT END AT SHOPRITE

RICHARD TURCSIK

GREENWICH TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A new ShopRite here has highlighted its pet department by placing it in a front alcove.

Operating under the PetRite banner, the 1,225-square-foot department has three 35-foot aisles along with a central kiosk. It is marked with a large "PetRite" sign on the wall.

While about 80 ShopRite stores currently have a PetRite department, the store here is the first to place it in a separate section, according to Laura McCafferty, a spokeswoman for the Elizabeth, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp., ShopRite's cooperative wholesaler.

Other ShopRite stores either place the department in aisle or incorporate it into the warehouse section, she said.

The PetRite at the 68,000-square-foot Greenwich store, which opened May 31, contains a broad selection of dog and cat foods and supplies, along with a variety of food and supplies for fish, hamsters and other pets, SN discovered when it visited the store in rural Warren County earlier this month.

Joseph Colalillo, president of the three-unit, Flemington, N.J.-based Colalillo ShopRite operation, told SN that having the PetRite in a separate area better communicates the broader selection that PetRite offers.

The Greenwich PetRite has 15 running linear feet of canned cat food on five shelves in one of its aisles. The top shelf of this aisle is lined with boxes of semimoist cat food, while the bottom shelf is lined with lay-down bags of dry cat food. The opposite side of the aisle contains

9 running linear feet of cat litter on four shelves. The selection includes 30 stockkeeping units of bagged cat litter and 11 SKUs of the jug variety.

The dog section offers 16 feet of canned dog food and approximately 13 feet of dry dog food lining the far wall.

The aisle opposite the dog food is lined with assorted rawhide bones and rubber squeaky toys, and about 12 feet of shampoos, conditioners and flea soaps. Leashes and collars are also located here.

An additional 10 feet of large-size bags of dry dog food are along the back wall, accompanied by 41 SKUs of dog biscuits, including Purina, ShopRite and Milk-Bone in a variety of flavors and sizes, including club packs. The back wall also contains 32 SKUs of semimoist dog treats.

Dog biscuits and treats occupy 12 running linear feet on five shelves.

PetRite's two inner aisles are lined with supplies for other animals.

The kiosk in the center of the department contains pet-related greeting cards on the front, rawhide chew toys and cookies on the back, pet books on one side and flea and tick killers on the other.