In a pre-close update, the retailer said it was still on course to post an underlying profit-before tax of £92m, in line with its previous guidance.

The pets retailer said that it saw volume growth in the second half of its trading year (running to March 26, 2026), including a positive like-for-like sales growth that improved in the first few months of 2026. 

It added that its retail business was likely to deliver an underlying profit-before-tax of around £30m for the full year of trading. Pets at Home has been undergoing a “Retail Turnaround Plan”, which has included price investments and £20m of group overhead savings. 

“While the benefits of many initiatives still lie ahead of us, we are encouraged by the progress made,” the retailer said in a statement released alongside the update. 

Pets at Home’s Vet Group is set to be a bigger engine of profit, delivering profit-before-tax of around £83m, despite a slowdown in sales growth due to what it described as a “typical lull in activity”.

“Vet Group performance remains underpinned by growth in average transaction values alongside growth in Care Plan revenues and plans,” the retailer said.

It added that it welcomed the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) final decision report on the veterinary services market and that it did not anticipate any adverse impact on the “growth strategy or ambitions for our Vet Group”.

The CMA recently concluded that veterinary prescription fees would be capped at £21, with vets required to publish service prices. The UK competition watchdog also announced that a price comparison website would be launched so pet owners can review the offerings of different practices.

The retailer said it was comfortable with analyst consensus for an increase in its underlying profit-before-tax to £99m in its next year of trading, with a range of £90m to £108m. It added that it had around 80% of its energy and FX requirements hedged.

Topics