Contact Information: CONTACTS: FETCH! Pet Care: Merilee Kern President Kern Communications 858-577-0206 AAA: Terry Lindstam Program Manager AAA National 407-444-8382
FETCH! Pet Care and AAA Expand Landmark Marketing Partnership for National Pet and Home Care Services Rollout
AAA to Actively Promote FETCH! Pet Care's Professional Pet and Home Care Services to Its 51 Million Members and 30,000 Employees Throughout the U.S.; Market Reach for Pet Care Services Industry Leader Skyrockets to Over 75 Million Employees, Customers and Members of Leading Companies and Associations Across North America
| Source: FETCH! Pet Care
BERKELEY, CA--(Marketwire - September 9, 2008) - FETCH! Pet Care (www.FetchPetCare.com), the
nation's largest pet care brand offering professional pet sitting and dog
walking services, today announced it has significantly expanded its
first-of-its-kind partnership with AAA, North America's largest motoring
and leisure travel organization, which has agreed to actively promote
exclusive discounts for -- and streamlined access to -- FETCH! Pet Care's
services to all 51 million AAA members and its 30,000 employees throughout
the United States. This deal marks the first time AAA National has aligned
itself with a professional pet and home care services provider with the
reach and operational capacity to provide a high caliber of service to
multiple millions of consumers.
Under the landmark agreement, AAA will execute various marketing
initiatives promoting FETCH! Pet Care's comprehensive pet and home care
services, to be offered to AAA members and employees at a 10% discount with
a free in-home consultation (a $25 value), through its various internal and
external direct and partner marketing channels. FETCH! Pet Care is also
currently featured as one of only three concierge services promoted within
the "Travel" section of the Northern California AAA Web site located at
www.CSAA.com.
This deal increases FETCH! Pet Care's national reach as a perk being
offered to over 75 million employees, customers and members of leading
companies and associations across the U.S. The company's corporate
partners include AAA, UPS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citibank, Safeway,
Fox/Newscorp, Google and Purdue University; its strategic partners include
Bark Busters and Veterinary Pet Insurance; and its animal rescue and
shelter agency affiliates include Best Friends and PETA.
"This partnership further validates our position as the nation's largest
and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting, dog walking and home
care services, and marks AAA's official foray into the $43 billion pet
industry," said Paul Mann, founder and CEO of FETCH! Pet Care. "With
upwards of two-thirds, or 34 million, of those within the AAA network
owning at least one pet, we applaud the organization for its intent to
promote our unparalleled service to better meet its members' and employees'
needs -- whether at home on a daily, weekly, intermittent or emergency
basis, or remotely since we can also provide pet care service at a
traveler's domestic destination. We also commend AAA's progressive
decision to offer our home care services to those of its members and
employees who don't own pets."
This national scale agreement with AAA is expected to significantly
increase FETCH! Pet Care's sales revenues and market share of both
corporate franchise starts and new client acquisitions. Now with 200
locations, the company services tens of thousands of active clients
throughout 1,700 cities and towns in 34 states across the U.S. With an
average of 10 to 15 new franchise locations opening each month, FETCH! Pet
Care's pool of professionally trained, bonded and insured pet sitters and
dog walkers is projected to reach 5,000 by the end of 2008, and 10,000 by
end of 2009 to meet growing customer demand. All this due, in large part,
to FETCH! Pet Care's proprietary technology-driven operational
infrastructure and highly streamlined processes, coupled with the scalable
human resources required to handle a high, geographically dispersed client
volume.
"AAA partnership programs provide useful products and services to our
members and staff as value added perks," notes Terry Lindstam, program
manager for AAA National. "This alliance provides additional benefits to
our members and differentiates AAA from other travel concierge services and
employee incentive programs This relationship will also allow us to
create new vertical pet-friendly travel packages that are in high demand,
and we expect to be well received, in the marketplace."
"Through this key strategic partnership and the many others we have
cultivated, we're successfully realizing our goal of being 'the' go-to pet
care service provider for pet owners -- and the companies and associations
they are affiliated with -- across the U.S.," Mann concludes.
FETCH! Pet Care provides pet owners with peace of mind while they are away
from their pets. The company offers a wide range of services that cater to
pet owners' specific needs and budget, including private leashed and group
off-leash dog outings, overnight sitting and daily cat and small pet visits
in the client's home, private boarding and daycare in the sitter's home,
pet taxiing, Go FETCH! four-legged fitness, yard pet waste removal, and
miscellaneous home care.
Consumers and interested business affiliates can reach FETCH! Pet Care
through its Web site at www.FetchPetCare.com or via toll-free telephone at
1-866-FETCH-ME, where they simply enter their 5-digit zip code to be
quickly connected to the FETCH! Pet Care office nearest them.
About AAA
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA
provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and
automotive-related services. Since its founding more than 100 years ago in
1902, AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all
travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.
About FETCH! Pet Care, Inc.
Founded in 2002 and with over 1,700 service areas across the United States,
FETCH! Pet Care is the pet sitting industry market leader -- the new face
of pet care in the 21st century. The company offers a humane alternative
to kennel boarding by providing loving, in-home overnight and/or daily care
to any kind of pet in the most professional and reliable manner possible.
FETCH! Pet Care thoroughly selects, screens, trains, and insures all of the
pet sitters and dog walkers within its network to assure the highest level
of professional, expert-based service is provided. Entrepreneur magazine
included FETCH! Pet Care in its 2007 feature "7 Hot Businesses That Can
Make You Rich," named the company among its coveted "Franchise 500" in both
2007 and 2008, and in January 2008 ranked the company as the nation's 24th
Top New Franchise, 89th Top Home-Based Franchise and 73rd Low-Cost
Franchise. FETCH! Pet Care has also been featured in Small Business
Opportunities magazine's top 20 "Boom Businesses" to get into in 2007 and
named among Pet Product News International's "25 to Watch in 2007." For
franchise information or to find a location near you, visit the company's
Web site at www.FetchPetCare.com or call the corporate office at
1-866-FETCHME.