SYKESVILLE, MD. — Effective Jan. 3, premium pet product distributor Pet Palette will operate under a new name: Pet Palette Distribution. The company said the rebrand aims to reflect the company’s growing presence and ambitious future in the pet industry.

The new name also comes with a new logo and slogan, which reads, “On-trend. On time. On your side.” Management and ownership of Pet Palette Distribution will go unchanged.

“We know that independent pet retailers have a lot of options when it comes to selecting a distributor, and we are committed to being the best partner for them for years to come,” said Ron Metzger, president and chief operating officer at Pet Palette Distribution. “We’ve spent the last year finessing our processes, investing in our personnel, and restructuring the entire company so that it operates more efficiently, and with our retail customers and product vendors in mind. The name change may seem like a small thing, but it represents countless hours of work that we have put in, and also our commitment to the future of the company.”

The company also announced it will add more premium pet products to its distribution portfolio in 2022, including SodaPup, Plato and Snugarooz products to name a few.

“At Pet Palette Distribution, we spend hundreds of hours each year looking at the offerings of new and existing vendors, and hand-picking products we know will be well-received on retail shelves,” said Megan Hulse, senior buyer at Pet Palette Distribution. “Our goal is to make it easy for retail customers to order and receive shipments, and to provide reassurance that their orders will sell quickly and at a high margin.”

Pet Palette Distribution is unique in that it ships through FedEx rather than using its own truck fleet. The company attributed this, as well as its “ambitious buying strategy,” to achieving fill rates in the mid-90% range in 2021 despite supply chain challenges seen across the industry.

“Because of our strong relationship with FedEx, we have secured low shipping rates that we pass directly back to our customers,” Metzger said. “While other companies increased their shipping and order minimums due to supply chain issues and labor shortages, we were able to drop our minimum orders and free shipping minimums.”

The company will continue building its team of pet industry experts and distribution specialists. In 2022, it plans to add retail assistance services, including visual merchandising recommendations, single resale certificate help, and additional information for high-margin, fast-rising products. 

“From marketing to buying, operations to accounting and customer service, the Pet Palette Distribution team is now entirely composed of professionals with deep expertise and training,” said Marina Pantilus, controller at Pet Palette Distribution.

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