Freeze – special feature on glass door coolers and freezers for pet food
As seen in Pets Plus Magazine –
Before you race out to buy freezers to stock frozen raw food, read these 11 tips.
For many indie pet stores, 2020 will be all about boosting sales of frozen raw foods. We shared advice from top retailers and manufacturers on how to do exactly that in our January issue. Here, we delved deeper into one of the most important investments you’ll make to reach that goal: storage. These 11 tips will help you shop smart and get the most bang for your freezer bucks.
Embrace the solid door
Many of you dream of a walk-in freezer, with a row of glass-front doors. Few of you can afford one, though, nor does your current raw food customer base call for it. That’s OK. Start with one, two, then three solid-front freezers, growing at a pace that best suits your business.
Shop home improvement stores
Diana Farrar of Fifi & Fidos in San Antonio, TX, gets consumer solid-front freezers at Lowe’s when prices drop — to about $750 each for the last three. “They’re cheap to buy, cheap to repair — if they ever have issues (I’ve only had one with a problem) — and cheap to run. Not pretty, but effective. All 14 of them.”
Inspect scratch & dent aisles
Trace Menchaca of Flying M Pet Grocery in Houston, TX, recently picked up four solid-front consumer freezers with minor dents at a local appliance store. The cost: $300 each. “It’s what my cash flow would allow. Also, because my clients are new to raw food, they are not at all drawn to our one glass-front freezer. Raw intro is a hands-on tour. So it doesn’t matter if it’s glass front.”
Get creative with fonts
Menchaca used brand decals and chalkboard paint to turn the doors of her freezers into signs for the products inside. Pattie Boden Zeller of Animal Connection in Charlottesville, VA, offers this idea: “Take a picture of what’s in the freezer and make a poster print for the front.”
Shop gob sales
“Kmarts are closing down and selling fixtures,” Mark Young of All For the Pet in Severna Park, MD, points out. He “just bought a two-door glass front freezer made by True for $650. Retail new is $6,800.” Once he added in wheels, plus moving and electrical costs, the investment totaled $1,500, still a fraction of what a new model runs.
Glass-door dreams? Solid-door budget? Time your buy.
6If customer demand has reached the point where glass-front freezers make good business sense, be sure to shop strategically.
Frank LaPosta, business development manager for Minus Forty commercial freezers, says, “Minus Forty offers rebates and incentives throughout the year, typically at the large national industry trade shows, Global Pet Expo and SuperZoo, and the regional distributor buying shows.”
Ask for help
LaPosta adds, “Most of our pet partner distributors and food manufacturers offer freezer programs that provide co-shared pricing. Some will offer a free freezer fill; other programs include financial support up to 50 percent of the cost of a freezer. We always recommend the retailer reach out to their distributors and pet food manufacturers, and inquire about what programs they offer.”
Karen Conell of The Bark Market in Delavan, WI, seconds that advice. To cover the cost of two glass-front freezers, she combined a rebate from Minus Forty with account credits from manufacturers Primal Pet Foods, Steve’s Real Food and distributor MiddleWest Pet.
“The full cost of the freezers was split three ways, an impossibly great deal!”
In exchange, the manufacturers had exclusivity of the freezers for one year.
Paul Lewis of The Green K9 in Mount Dora, FL, also was able to buy a new Minus Forty freezer, thanks to incentives from Primal Pet Foods and Animal Supply Company.
“There is a saying, ‘It never hurts to ask,’ and that rings true in this industry as well. Most of the manufacturers that we sell offer all kinds of samples and freebies. Most manufacturer’s reps have the ability to help you get started or to help promote new items. Just don’t be afraid to ask … worst they can say is ‘no.’”
When contacting frozen raw pet food brands, Eric Mack of Pawmetto Pet Market in Spartanburg, SC, offers this advice.
“I have put together a course of action for some brands, when asking for a significant fill, etc. It helps to show them what your plan is for the brand.
“Know the brand. Understand the brand. Don’t just expect something for free. The industry relationship that you can build the right way is the best way, and long-term will be a great option for you.”
Holly Montgomery of Tail Blazers Copperfield and Legacy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, agrees and adds, “When you become a proven seller, brands will actually compete for space in your freezers.”