Record-breaking awards celebrate industry excellence

The PetQuip Awards dinner saw awards presented across 15 categories at a buzzing evening with 300 guests representing suppliers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and industry trade exhibition organisers.

New awards for this year included two people-focused categories, Rising Star and Employee of the Year.

The Rising Star award, sponsored by Noble Futures, includes a bursary, courtesy of the sponsor, for the winner to use for personal development. The winner was Clara Hewson from The Muzzle Movement.

The judges found Employee of the Year so hard to judge that they awarded joint gold winners for two people who work in very different parts of the pet care sector. The awards went to Charmain Cane from We.pet Independent Wholesale and Michelle Williams from Associated Veterinary Services.

A delighted Charmain said: “I am over the moon. To hear myself described by my colleagues as ‘the glue that holds the team together’ was very special. I was shocked to be nominated, so you can imagine my delight at winning this award.”

An additional new award for best marketing campaign saw an excellent, high quality set of entries, which shone a light on the creativity and innovation from marketing teams across the sector. This category also resulted in joint gold awards, to Frozzys for its celebration pack campaign and Pawsome Pets Boutique for its Disney campaign.

Jackie Kirk, Marketing and Innovations at Frozzys commented: “The Frozzys team were delighted to pick up the gold award for Best Trade Marketing Campaign. The campaign was developed to mark our 10 year anniversary with the new Limited Edition Celebration Pack. Our small team achieved remarkable success in launching the pack nationwide, demonstrating the power of creativity, collaboration, and strategic thinking.

“We were so happy to see a marketing award added to the prestigious categories at the PetQuip awards, recognising the hard work that goes in to execute a successful, multi-channel campaign.”

The awards evening included trophies presented to multiple, independent and overseas retailers, with the gold winner for international retailer of the year represented by three of its senior directors, who were thrilled by this independent recognition of the high standards and expert personnel the company employs. Kölle Zoo has 24 experience stores, with welfare and animal friendly husbandry at its heart.

The UK multiple retailer gold award was won by Jollyes and UK independent retailer was won by Trusty Pet Supplies.

The final award of the evening, for Lifetime Achievement, was presented to Celia Hammond, whose original glamorous career focussed her attention on animal cruelties and who then used her high profile to change the views of the UK public on cruel animal practices. She then decided to devote her life to improving the care and lives of stray and feral animals in the UK.

With the move of PATS to the NEC in 2025, the PetQuip Awards dinner will take place alongside the exhibition as usual.

Amanda Sizer Barrett, director general of PetQuip, said: “Our whole team was delighted to celebrate so many successes in this innovative industry across product development, marketing, export, skilled team members and retailers. With a record-breaking attendance this year, we are looking forward to seeing even more of the industry gathering to celebrate and network at the 2025 PetQuip Awards!”

The PetQuip Awards 2024 were sponsored by: Leopard Co, Group55, Law Print and Packaging, Interzoo, Zoomark, SUPERZOO, Noble Futures, Petface, Pedigree Wholesale, PBW News, PPM, CIPS, PATS, James & Steel and the charity partner was Nature’s SAFE.