BARK Announces New Retail Commitment for Treats

Rhea-AI Summary

BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK) has announced a partnership with a leading national retailer to sell its new treat offering in approximately 1,300 doors starting in the spring of 2024. The agreement includes 4 SKUs in-store and 8 online, with a total of 2,500 doors secured across the country. This partnership is expected to increase BARK's visibility in the consumables market, as the company continues to focus on expanding its retail and direct-to-consumer footprint while aiming for profitability and free cash flow improvements.

Insights

Market Research Analyst

The expansion of BARK's retail footprint into 1,300 additional locations of a leading national retailer represents a significant strategic move for the company. This deal not only increases the availability of BARK products but also enhances brand visibility and accessibility. From a market research perspective, this alignment with a major retailer can be seen as a response to the growing consumer demand for pet products, which has been on an upward trajectory, particularly in the omnichannel space. The decision to include both in-store and online SKUs indicates a comprehensive approach to capture a wider consumer base and adapt to varying shopping behaviors.

It is important to consider the competitive landscape of the pet industry. BARK's move into a significant number of retail doors could exert pressure on competitors to secure similar partnerships or innovate to maintain market share. Additionally, the presence of BARK products in a major retailer can serve as an endorsement of the brand's quality and appeal, which may influence consumer perceptions and drive sales.

Financial Analyst

From a financial standpoint, the agreement with a top retailer to sell BARK's new treat offering is likely to have a positive impact on the company's revenue streams. The introduction of 4 in-store and 8 online stock-keeping units (SKUs) suggests a tailored approach to maximize sales channels. The mention of 'material profitability and free cash flow improvements' by the CEO hints at a focus on not just top-line growth but also bottom-line efficiency. Investors should monitor how this expansion influences the company's financial metrics, especially gross margin and operating expenses, as scaling up in retail can be capital intensive.

Furthermore, the timing of this rollout, set for spring 2024, allows investors to anticipate potential uplifts in financial performance in subsequent quarters. However, it also requires scrutiny of the execution risks and the company's ability to manage inventory and supply chain dynamics effectively. The long-term success of this initiative will depend on BARK's ability to convert increased visibility into sustained sales growth without disproportionately escalating costs.

Supply Chain Analyst

The logistical implications of BARK's agreement to distribute its new treat offering across 1,300 doors are substantial. The company must ensure that its supply chain is robust enough to handle increased demand and distribution complexity. With a near-future start date, BARK must have efficient production, inventory management and distribution processes in place to avoid stockouts or logistics snafus, which could damage the brand's reputation with both the retailer and consumers.

Moreover, the mix of in-store and online SKUs requires a nuanced approach to supply chain management, as online fulfillment often demands different packaging and shipping solutions compared to in-store products. The effectiveness of BARK's supply chain strategy in this expansion will be a key factor in delivering on the promise of 'material profitability and free cash flow improvements' as mentioned by the CEO. Optimizing the supply chain for this new distribution channel will be critical to achieving these financial goals while maintaining customer satisfaction.

Agreement Spans Approximately 1,300 Doors with a Leading National Retailer

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK) (“BARK” or the “Company”), a leading global omnichannel dog brand with a mission to make all dogs happy, today announced that it has received commitment from a premier national retailer to sell its new treat offering in approximately 1,300 of its doors beginning in the spring of 2024. The agreement consists of 4 SKUs in-store and 8 online.

To date, the Company has secured retail commitments for its new treat offering in nearly 2,500 doors across the country.

“We are excited to share our latest retail commitment for treats. This partnership, with one of the top retailers in the country, will significantly boost visibility of BARK’s growing presence in consumables,” said Matt Meeker, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to execute the roadmap we laid out at the beginning of the year, from growing our consumables footprint in retail and direct-to-consumer, to delivering material profitability and free cash flow improvements. This is encouraging progress and we are still in the early innings of our journey.”

About BARK
BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making dogs happy with the best products, services and content. BARK’s dog-obsessed team applies its unique, data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats, great food for your dog’s breed, effective and easy to use dental care, and dog-first experiences that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in 2011, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with themed toys and treats subscriptions, BarkBox and BARK Super Chewer; custom product collections through its retail partner network, including Target and Amazon; its high-quality, nutritious meals made for your breed with BARK Food; and products that meet dogs’ dental needs with BARK Bright®. At BARK, we want to make dogs as happy as they make us because dogs and humans are better together. Sniff around at BARK.co for more information.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, the future performance of BARK that are based on the Company’s current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” "anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future operating results, including our strategies, plans, commitments, objectives and goals. Actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to BARK; the risk that spending on pets may not increase at projected rates; that BARK subscriptions may not increase their spending with BARK; BARK’s ability to continue to convert social media followers and contacts into customers; BARK’s ability to successfully expand its product lines and channel distribution; competition; the uncertain effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global or macroeconomic events or challenges.

More information about factors that could affect BARK's operating results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by visiting the Company’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.bark.co/ or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update such statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240117590143/en/

Investors:

Michael Mougias

investors@barkbox.com

Media:

Garland Harwood

press@barkbox.com

Source: BARK, Inc.

FAQ

What is the latest partnership announced by BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK)?

BARK, Inc. (NYSE: BARK) has announced a partnership with a leading national retailer to sell its new treat offering in approximately 1,300 doors starting in the spring of 2024.

How many SKUs are included in the agreement with the national retailer?

The agreement consists of 4 SKUs in-store and 8 online.

How many doors has BARK secured retail commitments for its new treat offering?

To date, the Company has secured retail commitments for its new treat offering in nearly 2,500 doors across the country.

What is the goal of BARK's partnership with the national retailer?

The partnership aims to increase BARK's visibility in the consumables market and expand its retail and direct-to-consumer footprint while aiming for profitability and free cash flow improvements.