Pets at Home dominates the specialist pet supplies sector in the UK, with a nationwide network of around 455 superstores offering a one-stop shop for pet-related products and services, including just under 340 Groom Rooms.
It also operates the UK’s largest small animal veterinary business with approximately 440 practices, the majority of which are within stores.
Pets at Home launched a new brand identity and advertising campaign in April 2023 that brings together all elements of its business, which is in line with its aim to be the one-stop destination for all pet care needs, from grooming to veterinary services. As part of the changes, the former Vets4Pets business will be known as Vets for Pets, while the grooming business will now become Pets Grooming, bringing all the services under one unified brand identity – Pets.
Former boss Peter Pritchard was aiming to generate 50% of revenues through services by 2024 and, to this end, accelerated the rollout of a pet centre format from 2020.
Former Sky UK chief consumer officer Lyssa McGowan replaced Pritchard as CEO from June 2022 and, around a year later, unveiled the retailer’s vision for the medium term of delivering a “unified pet care platform”, which will bring together its products, services and expertise onto one easily accessible platform.
Investing in offering customers “a seamless and digital journey” across products and services has been a key focus for a number of years. The retailer worked with longstanding tech partner Aptos to fully modernise its retail operations and customer engagement as part of its shift to digital, which was accelerated as a result of the pandemic.
Turnover has continued on a strong upward trajectory in recent years. Total sales reached £1.40bn in FY2022, of which £1.28bn was generated by retail operations (merchandise and non-veterinary services) and £122.8m came from its veterinary business.
Innovation rating: 2.5
