Fireworks Fears Drove June’s Calming Product Sales

Nearly half of the pet pros who took the most recent Brain Squad survey reported higher June revenue this year compared to last, with calming products and CBD emerging as the clearest driver. An early, extended fireworks season tied to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations fueled sales of the category, they said. The remaining respondents were split between flat sales (28%) and declines (25%) year over year.

“Our sales of CBD were on fire during the month of June,” said Amy Kenkel of Leaps & Bones in South Windsor, CT, who sold nearly 60 bags as customers worried the milestone would bring extra fireworks. At The sPaw in Rapid City, SD, Shell Tomjack said her calming line — melatonin, CBD and lavender — was June’s top seller with no discounting needed.

A quieter but sizable secondary trend saw services, not products, driving the register. These respondents named grooming, self-wash, boarding, nail trims, training or veterinary care as their best “seller” in June. Heather Miller of Just For Pets in York, PA, said walk-in nail trims — 357 of them, at $25 each — were her biggest June earner, credited partly to an ad targeting new homeowners. Joanna Shaw of All Pet & Equine Supply in Mountain Home, AR, said her 2-year-old self-wash bay was “off the charts” in June.

A third thread that emerged was retailers leaning into premium and functional nutrition as a differentiator rather than a discount play. Victor Santucci of Garden State Pet Center in Audubon, NJ, sold more than 450 cans of premium canned cat food and 60-plus units of frozen gently cooked dog food, driven by staff nutrition consultations rather than promotions — even as his overall June revenue fell.

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