A New Haunt for City Hounds
Dog owners in Cape Town will have noticed a new kid on the block – the brand new Agrimark Pet store that opened its doors in Green Point. With a wide range and huge variety of essentials perfectly suited to the urban pet, it’s the ideal place for pet owners to do all their fur-family shopping. But humans aren’t the only ones who will enjoy what the store has to offer.
There’s no denying that city dogs (like those who live in Sea Point and Green Point in Cape Town) are different to suburban and farm dogs. They may not have the luxury of a massive garden or farm to run around in or be part of a large pack, but they nevertheless lead very exciting and pampered lives. They tend to be well trained, ride in cars more, go for daily walks, go to “doggy day care”, stay in pet hotels and accompany their people when visiting friends. They are far more socialised than their rural counterparts and walks in an urban park followed by a shaded rest at a coffee shop are often a daily occurrence. They look the part too – they’re generally exceptionally well-groomed; their perfectly matching collar and leash are always clean and shiny; and in winter, they have special designer jackets to keep them warm. Because their lifestyles are so different, they have different eating, sleeping, walking and even fashion needs.
With a dedicated Pet Zone in almost every Agrimark store, and years of retailing to pet owners in suburbs and rural towns, Agrimark has become a much-loved shopping destination for the fur-family. With the opening of the first Agrimark Pet shop in December, the city’s pet lovers and their fur-friends are being introduced, for the first the time, to the agri-lifestyle experience which is so unique to Agrimark.
Jaimé Manuel, Business Development Manager at Agrimark, says the concept has been in the making for some time and the team is excited about bringing the Agrimark agri-lifestyle experience to the city. “Our unique, personal service and care culture, coupled with our buying power, means we can bring savings and variety to a whole new customer segment, forming new relationships at the same time” says Jaimé. “This new format store leverages the retail experience and learnings from the pet zone within the Agrimark stores and aims to truly surprise and delight the city pet owner.”
Agrimark Pet combines all the experience and product knowledge of Agrimark with the needs and wants of today’s pampered pet. The store has a raw food section and carries a huge range of cat and dog food, including wet and prescription food, as well as food for other small pets like hamsters, bunnies and birds. Cats and dogs are thoroughly catered for, with plenty of treats, accessories galore and even a special birthday section, full of exciting toys and birthday paraphernalia.
According to Jaimé, Green Point came out as the obvious choice for the first Agrimark Pet. “There is a high density of pets and pet traffic in the area and even though they live in the city, Capetonians love their pets.” Located on the corner of Portside and Main roads in Green Point, the location truly is right in the centre of a city dog’s world. It’s where owners and dogs walk along the promenade, meet up with friends and even shop together. But unlike most shops, Agrimark Pet doesn’t have a sign saying: “no dogs” and the pooches don’t need to be tied up outside. They are welcome to go into the store and shop with their owners, have a sniff around and choose their own treats and toys. Best of all, once the shopping is over, they can sit outside on the shaded patio, have a drink of water, a dog-friendly ice cream or a light meal from their very own Bark Bar. Of course, the humans have been catered for too; they get to have a seat and enjoy a treat of their own from the on-site Vida e Caffè. Everything is catered around the fur-family. The Vida even offers puppuccino for pooches!
Over and above the great product and experience offering, Agrimark Pet also offers the same kind of personal service Agrimark customers have come to expect. Jaimé hopes the customers really feel the difference. “Agrimark is known for being personable, friendly and helpful. We are mens-mense and care about each customer and his or her needs. We want our Green Point and any future urban customers to experience our genuine country-style hospitality.”
“We would also love to receive customers’ feedback on their retail experience at Agrimark Pet and invite them to provide us with feedback via our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. Just tag @agrimark!”
This may not be the only retail surprise we see from Agrimark in the near future. According to Jaimé, Agrimark Pet represents the first of store concepts being explored for targeted consumer markets. “We have been – and will continue - investigating opportunities that enable us to leverage our supply chain capabilities and add value to our current and future customers,” he says.
In the meantime, Agrimark Pet has been making a stir on Instagram, as more and more locals head for the Bark Bar to treat their fur-kid to an ice-cream and take the perfect selfie.
