EXCITING CHANGES FOR NEIGHBORHOOD PET STORE DAY 2026
- Todd Dittman
- Dec 2
- 2 min read
Neighborhood Pet Store Day is a winner for independent pet retailers and brands who support them
Retailers who celebrated Neighborhood Pet Store Day in a big way last September saw their efforts bring in more customers (up to 42% more than a typical weekend) who spent more on their pets (up to 30%) and had fun while participating! Some retailers reported that Neighborhood Pet Store Day sales rival or exceed both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
Sponsoring brands’ experiences were similar. According to Astro Loyalty, IndiePet brands who sponsored our day of celebration and recognition for independent pet retailers, realized a 52% increase in new or reactivated customers.
Why we expect these results to grow stronger for 2026
The Neighborhood Pet Store Day logo is officially trademarked.
Its use will be allowed only by participating retailers and sanctioned sponsoring brands beginning in 2026.
All IndiePet member brands will be encouraged to participate.
We are extending sponsorship to all IndiePet associate members who wish to participate. Member brands will have use of the Neighborhood Pet Store Day logo for their promotional materials and will be included on Astro’s exclusive Neighborhood Pet Store Day offers page.
IndiePet member who choose enhanced sponsorship will get more.
IndiePet associate members who increase their support of participating retailers through a paid sponsorship will also have use of the Neighborhood Pet Store Day logo for their promotional material and in addition, will receive promotion and recognition and from IndiePet that includes:
Trade show booth signage and trade show event recognition
Recognition as Superstar or Supporter level sponsor on IndiePet and Neighborhood Pet Store Day sites
Recognition in IndiePet monthly emails
Enhanced status on Astro Neighborhood Pet Store Day offer page
ROI analysis on promoted brands post event
Social media resources and support
Non-member brands invited to participate.
Neighborhood Pet Store Day has become so popular that we have observed many non-member brands wanting to get in on the action. In 2026, non-member brands will have the opportunity to support independent pet retailers for a small participation fee to cover the use of the Neighborhood Pet Store Day logo and to be included on Astro’s Neighborhood Pet Store Day page of offers.
All independent pet retailers are welcome!
Neighborhood Pet Store Day has been and continues to be open to all independent pet retailer who want to participate. IndiePet will continue to provide additional marketing support for IndiePet member retailers who participate.
Independent pet retailers and sponsors have helped grow IndiePet’s Neighborhood Pet Store Day participation from 700 stores in the first year to nearly 2,000 stores in 2025. That means more pet parents are learning about the differences and benefits of “shopping indie” for their pets.
Neighborhood Pet Store Day has been featured in pet trade publications, pod casts, trade show simulcasts and in community event calendars.
IndiePet committees work throughout the year to improve support for this special day and participants can look forward to ongoing enhancements in marketing support and technology to ensure our industry’s growing celebration of independent pet retailers helps keep indies at the forefront of pet parents’ minds for their pet food and supplies.
Comments