Pets Corner improves ethical breeding plan following TV programme
Pets Corner has improved its ethical breeding plan - Selling pets the right way - following the appearance of commercial director Steve Charman Channel 4's 'Undercover Boss' programme.
Charman used the TV programme to discover if there were any faults in the business that would jeopardise the company's ambitious expansion plans of launching a new pet shop every month.
The programme, shown on Tuesday evening, illustrated some major issues that Charman needed to address before his plans for Pets Corner could be put into operation.
Charman had posed as a prospective pet shop owner as he went undercover, wearing a fake beard and dyeing his hair to avoid being recognised by unsuspecting staff.
But at the end of the programme he reassured workers that he would learn from his experience and make improvements that would enable the company to undergo the expansion plans with confidence.
One of the issues that Charman found was in the case of breeding of animals, and he was shocked to discover that the company was paying £15 for a rabbit, barely enough for breeder Debbie Withers to make an income.
On the website the company states: "Some people don’t approve of pets being sold in pet stores. We think it’s better for us to use our reputation as one of the UK’s leading pet retailers to ensure that pets are bred ethically and humanely.
"We demand a higher standard of care from our breeders so we pay more for our animals than other chains of pet shops (e.g we pay £30 for a rabbit which we sell for £36 which is just adding the VAT). Our customers can be sure that they aren’t funding low cost battery breeding or cheap Eastern European Imports.
"We use breeders local to our stores. This enables us to have a good rapport and get to know our breeders on a personal level. We are able to understand their practices and support them and their animals.
"Before we will consider buying livestock, we visit all breeders and check their facilities to ensure they meet our strict criteria. All of our pets are sold with a birth certificate which means we can guarantee and trace your pet’s origin."
One of the issues that Charman found was in the case of breeding of animals, and he was shocked to discover that the company was paying £15 for a rabbit, barely enough for breeder Debbie Withers to make an income.
