Pets at Home’s like-for-like revenues increased by 4.1% in its third quarter as it recorded rapid growth across its services business.

Like-for-like revenue within its services business for the 12 weeks ending January 1 jumped by 15.6% as merchandise like-for-likes rose by 3.4%.

The pets specialist said alongside a strong services and omnichannel performance, growth was driven by the advanced nutrition, health and hygiene, the Christmas range, and its VIP Club loyalty scheme.

Total revenue grew by 7.8% to reach £182.2m, while merchandise revenues were up 6.5% to £168.2m as food growth outperformed accessories.

Although services revenue growth far outstripped merchandise sales, it is growing from a much smaller base. Services revenues were up 26.0% to £14m during the quarter.

Pets at Home chief executive Nick Wood said: “This reflects the strength of our offer, the multiple levers through which we can drive growth, and the resilience of the pet products and services market.”

During the third quarter Pets at Home opened seven new stores, bringing its portfolio up to 392 stores. It also opened five veterinary practices and eight groom rooms in the period, bringing the portfolio up to 308 and 160 respectively.

The VIP club loyalty scheme added 250,000 members during the quarter to reach a total of 2.9 million.

The VIP card was used during transactions that comprised 61% of revenues, compared with 57% in the first half of the financial year.

The retailer also expanded its online-only product range by nearly 800 SKUs in the quarter, bringing the total extended range to over 11,600 SKUs.