FreshpetMediaContact: AljolynnSperber 310-­‐994-­‐7380

Petco Media Contact:Mia West mwest@west-­‐pr.com619-­‐501-­‐2756

FORIMMEDIATERELEASE

PETCO™LEADSTHEPACKWITHFRESHPET

PetcoistheFirsttoOfferFreshRefrigeratedPetFoodNationallyinResponsetotheFastestGrowingPetFoodCategory

SANDIEGO,CA(May2012)–FirstLady,MichelleObama,hasmadehermessageclearthatfreshfoodtastesbetterand isbetterforyou,sokidsandgrown-­‐upsalikeshouldeatmoreofit.Mostcanagreethateatingfreshfoodiskeytooptimalhealthandaccordingtorecentresearch,petparentsseemtobemovingtowardsthistrendfortheirpetstoo,asfreshisthenumberonefastestgrowingpetfoodsegment.Inresponsetothismovement,Petco™,aleadingpet specialtyretailerwithmorethan1,100stores,announcestodaythatitwillbethe

firstnationalretailertoofferFreshpet,theonlyfresh,allnaturalpetfoodcompanyintheUnitedStates,nationwide.

“Wewanttoprovidepetparentswithproductsthatreflecttheirfamilies changinglifestyles,andwe’veseenthateatingfresh,lessprocessedfoodisabigtrendforbothpeopleandtheirpets,”saysBradWeston,PetcoEVPandChiefMerchant. “Freshisanotheroptioninhealthypetnutrition,andwewanttomakesurepetparentsseekingfreshfoodsolutionscanfindtheminourstores.”

Freshpetbelievesinthebenefitsfresh,wholesomefoodcanprovideandhascreatedrecipesthathelppromoteahealthier,moreactivelifestylefordogsandcats.

AllFreshpetfoodsare:

·∙Meat-­‐based with vitamin-­‐rich fruits and vegetables

·∙Refrigerated for freshness, just like fresh human foods

·∙All natural, with NO preservatives

·∙Freeofcorn,wheat,by-­‐productsorfillers

FreshpetCEORichardThompsonadds,“Freshisthefastestgrowingsegmentinthepetfoodcategory,andforgoodreason,peoplearestartingtounderstandthatpetsbenefitfromeatingfreshfoodsjustlikewedo.We’rethrilledtobeleadingthefreshtrendtogetherwithPetco.”

PetcoandUnleashedbyPetco™storeswillcarryawidevarietyofFreshpetmealsandtreatsintheirNaturalShopinanopen-­‐airrefrigerator,muchliketherefrigeratoryoufindinthefreshdairyandmeatsectionsoffoodstores.

AboutFreshpet

Freshpet,headquarteredinSecaucus,NewJersey,istheonlycompanyprovidingfresh,allnaturaldogandcatfoodnationwide. Foundedin2006bypetloversandpetfoodindustryprofessionals,Freshpetidentifiedanopportunitytoimprovethepetfoodmarketandintroducedfreshdogandcatfoodasahealthyalternativetodryandcannedfood.Freshpetonlyusesthehighestqualitymeats,poultryandfishcombinedwithfreshvegetablesandfruits—withnoartificialpreservativesorfillerslikecorn,wheatorby-­‐products. Nutrient-­‐richmealsallowpetstohavethesamehealthyeatinghabitsastheirowners.Freshpetisalsoagoodalternativetorawdogfoodandhomemadedogfooddiets.

FreshpetbrandsincludeDeliFresh™,Vital™,andDogNation™,availableatselectpetspecialtystores.FormoreinformationonFreshpetfoods,pleasevisit

AboutPetco

Petcoisaleadingpetspecialtyretailerthatprovidestheproducts,servicesandadvicethatmakeiteasierforourcustomerstobegreatpetparents.EverythingwedoisguidedbyourvisionforHealthierPets.HappierPeople.BetterWorld.Weoperatemorethan1,100storesnationwide,includingmorethan30UnleashedbyPetcolocations,asmallerformatneighborhoodshop,and ThePetcoFoundation,anindependentnonprofitorganization,hasraisedmorethan$90millionsinceitwascreatedin1999tohelppromoteandimprovethewelfareofcompanionanimals.InconjunctionwiththeFoundation,weworkwithandsupportapproximately7,500localanimalwelfaregroupsacrossthecountrytohelpfindhomesformorethan250,000animals throughin-­‐storeadoptioneventseveryyear.

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