BENTONVILLE, Ark., Aug. 14, 2012 – Dog owners now have another way to save money at Walmart, so their companions can live better. Available exclusively in more than 2,900 Walmart stores, Pure Balance is the retailer’s first ultra premium dry dog food which includes no soy, wheat or corn additives, no artificial colors, no preservatives and no chicken by-products.
Pure Balance’s first and primary ingredient is either real lamb meat or poultry, and contains a blend of omega 6 and 3 fatty acids good for a healthy coat and skin. Additionally, the product supports vision health, as well as heart health and immunity.
“Walmart customers, including me, consider our dogs family members so when it comes to their food we want the very best for them,” said Jody Pinson, vice president of pets at Walmart. “Our customers told us they wanted to be able to feed their dogs a dry food made with pure ingredients without having to make a special trip to the pet store. We listened and are excited to offer Pure Balance, an ultra premium dog food, at a price our customers can afford.”
Walmart’s new Pure Balance brand dog food offers key benefits found in top pet specialty brands, and is already gaining notice from veterinarians who understand the benefits of a high-quality dry food.
“As a veterinarian, I am repeatedly asked to recommend diets for peoples’ pets, and I see a lot of benefits in switching to Pure Balance,” said Dr. Chip Lang, a veterinarian at the Cochranton Veterinary Hospital in Pennsylvania. “Pure Balance is formulated to contain a simple and well-balanced base of quality nutrients, while avoiding unnecessary additives. The combination of these benefits means that the diet could be recommended for healthy animals and pets with skin, intestinal or other allergies.”
Pure Balance rounds out Walmart’s broad assortment of pet food available at everyday low prices.
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About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 10,300 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://walmartstores.com, and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
FACT SHEET
Walmart Stats
- Walmart sells enough dog food each year to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 2,050 times.
- Walmart sells enough dog food to match the weight of an African elephant more than 27 times each hour.
- Walmart will sell enough dog food to outweigh The Great Pyramid of Egypt in less than three years.
Growing Market
- Consumers will spend $53 billion on pet products in 2012, nearly $21 billion on pet food alone. (Source: American Pet Products Association March 2012 Study)
- All dry dog food sales have increased 81 percent from nearly $4.3 billion in 2001 to nearly $7.7 billion in 2011. (Source: Nielsen Consumer Facts 2001, 2011)
- Ultra premium is the fastest growing segment of the dry dog food market, growing 8.5 percent in 2011 to nearly $3.5 billion. By comparison, the “value” category grew 6.8 percent, “premium” grew 3.1 percent and “super premium” decreased by 4.9 percent. (Source: GfK US Pet Shops and Nielsen Scantrack & Homescan 2011.)
Product Specifics
- Chicken & Brown Rice
- First ingredient is real chicken
- No corn, wheat or soy
- No fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives
- Supports vision health
- Supports heart health and immunity
- Bag sizes available and retail price:
- 5 lb ($6.78)
- 15 lb ($16.60)
- 30 lb ($31.88)
- Lamb & Brown Rice
- First ingredient is real lamb
- No corn, wheat or soy
- No fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives
- Supports vision health
- Supports heart health and immunity
- Bag sizes available and retail price:
- 5 lb ($8.47)
- 15 lb ($21.47)
- 30 lb ($39.88)
