The largest gathering of pet businesses takes place at Sandown Park in Surrey on March 22-23.

At show new products like beer for dogs, portable pet toilets, duffle coats and sleeping bags will be showcased.

Show visitors will also be able to choose from an amazing amount of pet food containing ingredients like venison, duck and pheasant. There’s also a Coronation Chicken variety to stimulate doggy taste buds.

“British people love their pets and they also love to spoil them,” says Gordon Thomas, organiser of PATS Sandown.

“UK companies have responded to the call for new and innovative products and every year we see a whole host of fresh launches into the marketplace.

“It’s not just home-based retailers benefitting from these developments, as international buyers are seeing British designed products as potential bestsellers.”

As well as meeting up with a long list of PATS regulars, visitors will be greeted by a host of new faces and new products. A growing number of companies are choosing to exhibit for the first time as they see PATS as the perfect opportunity to announce their plans for the year ahead.

The New Products Showcase is a great way for visitors to see and touch the new products they will be stocking. In previous years more than 200 new items have been entered into the Showcase so it is the best place to view potential bestsellers. All items entered by manufacturers will be put forward for the New Products Awards judged by a panel of pet retailers.

And a free-to-attend series of seminars will cover topics including: your ultimate guide to independent success; driving growth in independents, what customers want from the pet trade; retailing raw pet food; and how to get more online users on your website. There is also a chance to earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points for those people attending a special seminar on ‘why pet health care is important to your business’ by animal healthcare specialists Merial.

Visitors are now being urged to register online on the PATS website www.patshow.co.uk.