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Pet companies named in Top 100 small business list
Two small pet businesses have been named among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday, the campaign that culminates in the UK’s dedicated day for small businesses on December 3...
Pet Shed owner Hannah James celebrates the store's inclusion in a Top 100 small business list.
Two small pet businesses have been named among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday, the campaign that culminates in the UK’s dedicated day for small businesses on December 3.
The businesses will be among those featured one per day for the 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday itself.
The companies are:
The Pet Shed, a small pet shop set up by animal lover Hannah James (pictured above), who gave up her job as an accountant to pursue her dream of opening a pet shop. The shop, has been open for nearly three years, doesn’t actually stock pets but concentrates instead on offering the best and most natural pet food, treats, toys and accessories. It offers a number of ranges of dog treat biscuits, small dog collars and leads and a range of dog harnesses that are all supplied by small businesses.
“When my local pet shop came up for sale I jokingly said that I should buy it,” explains Hannah.
“Then I seriously considered it, but at the time could not raise the funds. Some time later, rather than buy the existing pet shop, I opened a new shop from scratch. I decided to apply my personal philosophy of eating natural food and buying sustainable products to the shop, so I stock natural dog foods and eco friendly pet toys and accessories.”
 The other is Pug4Pets, a small business from Stoke On Trent, which offers personalised gifts for pets. Pug4Pets, which is the brainchild of Jo Ballantine and Leigh-Anne Arundel, offers a range of exclusive pet lockets that are hand stamped bespoke discs and floating charms to suit individual pets. Because the discs are hand stamped to order they can carry whatever information the owner wants, from telephone numbers, medical alerts or simply a favourite saying. The company also provides matching items for humans as well as an expanding range of human jewellery, cards, printed products, gifts and pet accessories.
Jo and Leigh-Anne have designed the business to be a community company, hosting a blog on its website to support local businesses and charities, and offering special donation codes that customers can use to donate 15% of their purchase to three chosen charities: Rain Rescue pet charity, Rogan’s Wish and Friends of Bramley Sunnyside Schools.
“We originally met online through a business support group three years ago and instantly hit it off,” explains Jo.
“Our business backgrounds were an ideal platform to launch the product from so once the original idea was formed we came together to create Pug4Pets. The human market was becoming saturated and it was time to progress the idea to other markets. Having researched dog collars, we found that lockets were not being used in this way.”
 Small Business Saturday is already the UK's most successful small business campaign. This is the fourth year of the campaign, which last year saw £623m spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, an increase of £119m or 24 per cent on the previous year. The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter on the day with more than 100,000 campaign-related tweets being sent. Over 75% of local councils supported the campaign, giving considerable national reach into local communities.
The campaign is a great nationwide promotional and marketing tool for small businesses. It is totally free to participate and any small businesses can get involved - from one-man-bands, through to a high growth office, and from tradesmen to social media gurus. In addition to the big day, the campaign also delivers help and advice alongside opportunities to connect with other small businesses. In short, Small Business Saturday exists to support, inspire and promote small businesses.
“The British public has a great affection for small businesses and we continue to see that grow year on year. Small Business Saturday is an exceptional example of collaboration and co-operation with small businesses teaming up in communities around the UK,” explains Campaign Director Michelle Ovens.
“Although the campaign focuses on one day, the goal is to have a lasting impact on small businesses by changing mind-sets, so that people make it their mission to support small businesses all year round. Most people in this country own a small business, work for a small business or know somebody who does, so supporting a small business on Small Business Saturday is absolutely personal.”
Small Business Saturday, which is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010 and it remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small. The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation. The campaign is also supported by PRS For Music, TalkTalk Business, Vistaprint, Post Office and Clear Channel
Logos, digital banners, a social media guide and toolkits will be available to download from the website www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and can be displayed online or on premises. Businesses around the country can also upload information to the ‘My Small Business Finder’ on the website (www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com) on what special events or promotional offers they will be running for Small Business Saturday.
More information on Small Business Saturday can also be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page (www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk) and Twitter feed (@SmallBizSatUk)
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Carina Evans, CEO of Dog Rocks UK Distribution Ltd, has been named a finalist in the internationally acclaimed Pet Industry Woman of the Year Award competition.
Carina, who has been in business for 10 years, was nominated in the Entrepreneur category. The other award categories are Solopreneur, Corporate, Advocate and Rising Star.
The overall Pet Industry Woman of the Year will be chosen from the winners of these five categories. Winners will be announced on September 20 during an evening ceremony at the Women in the Pet Industry Conference and Awards Show in Portland, America
A panel of four independent judges reviewed and scored nominations for applicants in the five categories. This year’s judges included a business coach and bestselling author, a founder of a successful pet organization, a COO of a design firm, and a director of a women’s business centre.
Carina will participate in a round table discussion during the WIPIN conference, September 19-20 at the Embassy Suites in Portland, Oregon.
Recently, the company won the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in International Trade 2016.
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Harringtons to spend £1 million plus on TV campaign
Leading dog food brand Harringtons is launching a heavyweight integrated marketing campaign, including an initial 4-week, £1 million plus TV advertising burst, on September 1 that aims to promote the brand to a wider audience.
Leading dog food brand Harringtons is launching a heavyweight integrated marketing campaign on September 1 that aims to promote the brand to a wider audience.
The campaign – the brand’s largest to date - includes an initial 4-week, £1 million plus TV advertising burst to promote the brand’s core attributes of natural goodness and well-being.
Harringtons’ Facebook followers will be able to see an exclusive preview of the commercial from August 31.
The TV commercial, filmed across locations in Leeds, was produced by London and Leeds agency CreativeRace and will be shown in 30 secs and 20 secs formats.
A new Harringtons website will feature as part of the launch which will be also supported by extensive PR, digital and social media activity as brand owner Inspired Pet Nutrition looks to further boost consumer awareness.
Sales have grown by 40% in value terms and 35% in volume terms during the 12 months ending 21/5/2016. Over the same period, Harringtons has also recorded the largest percentage value increase (3.2%) in market share of any UK dry dog food.1
In conjunction with the campaign, Harringtons are launching a new Hyopallergenic range available in three flavours; lamb with brown rice, salmon and sweet potato and turkey with brown rice. These will be in 2kg and 5kg bagged formats with respective RRPs of £4.50 and £9.50 which will be available to all channels.
Dan Reeves, Marketing Manager at Harringtons, said: “The TV ad features a typical conversation between two dog owners walking their pets with one of them extolling the benefits of Harringtons. The commercial catches the viewer’s attention by using background sounds while winding through a variety of natural scenes that are designed to promote the brand’s wholesome goodness.
“The campaign represents a significant investment in the brand which is currently storming ahead of its competitors. In the under 10kg dry dog food sector, the three Harringtons brands in the top 10 are the only ones to show any growth with the lamb and rice SKU up a staggering 77 per cent2.”
Chris McCash, Development Director at CreativeRace, said: “Harringtons is a highly recommended brand and we simply wanted to show this happening without too much “adland” speak. Capturing two friends’ conversation, on a dog walk, was the obvious choice.”1AC Nielsen Dry Dog (Total Coverage) 52 weeks MAT 21/5/2016 Value & Volume 2AC Nielsen 52 weeks Grocery Multiples <10kg Dry Dog 21/5/2016 danreeves@waggfoods.co.uk
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Pet seatbelts should be made compulsory, says survey
A survey carried out by Pets Corner found that of 700 people questioned 68% of them believe pet seatbelts should be compulsory for animals travelling in a vehicle if they are not restrained by other suitable means – such as a pet carrier – and 66% agreed that a dog guard isn’t enough to maintain an animal’s safety...
A survey carried out by Pets Corner found that of 700 people questioned 68% of them believe pet seatbelts should be compulsory for animals travelling in a vehicle if they are not restrained by other suitable means – such as a pet carrier – and 66% agreed that a dog guard isn’t enough to maintain an animal’s safety.
According to research carried out by the RAC, 4% of pet owners (2% dog and 2% cat) have had an accident, or a near miss, as a result of a cat or dog being loose in their car and one in four ‘break the law’ by not restraining their dogs whilst transporting them in a vehicle.
The Highway Code states that dogs or other animals should be suitably restrained in a vehicle so that they don’t distract the driver or injure the animal if the vehicle stops quickly. However, it also states that a dog guard is one way to restrain an animal – something Pets Corner believes is somewhat of a grey area for animal owners.
Lucy Ross, Head of Training at Pets Corner, said: “It is estimated that in a 30mph collision, an unrestrained dog can be thrown forward with the force equivalent to a small elephant. We recommend that pets should always be secured with a suitable seat belt harness or appropriate pet carrier or crate. A dog guard isn’t enough as it still allows pets to move freely meaning that there’s a risk the animal could be seriously injured or killed in the event of an accident.
“Allowing your pet to be loose in the car can also make it more anxious, which could be incredibly distracting for the driver. Other road users may also be distracted if a dog is, say, hanging its head out of the car or moving around in the back of a vehicle.”
Managing Director at Pets Corner Dean Richmond added: “Pet owners shouldn’t forget about the safety of their pet when travelling in the car. Their pet is part of the family and it makes sense to think about keeping them as safe as their owners by ensuring they are secure during the journey.”
For more information visit www.petscorner.co.uk/petopedia/travelling-with-pets
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Pedigree Wholesale has added SmartBones, the healthy alternative to rawhide, to its portfolio of market leading brands.With all the benefits of rawhide, but without the rawhide, SmartBones’ outer layer is made from wholesome, flavoursome vegetables including corn, peas and carrots. It is then combined with an inner layer of real chicken or beef for a taste that dogs can’t resist. Rawhide free and enriched with vitamins and minerals, SmartBones are highly digestible and low in fat. Manufactured under strict quality control procedures the range includes four different varieties of bones – Chicken, Sweet Potato, Beef and Dental – and one variety of stick, Chicken. To cater to different dog sizes SmartBones are available in a range of sizes. Chicken SmartBones are available in 3 sizes (6cm, 14cm and 17.5cm) whilst Sweet Potato, Beef and Dental are available in 2 sizes (6cm and 14cm). To encourage consumers to trial SmartBones sample packs of Mini Chicken SmartBones are also available. For more information about SmartBones visit Pedigree Wholesale at PATS Telford (stand E10) or contact Customer Services on 0115 982 3900.
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Meet Toy Poodle Peggy...Pets at Home's resident model
A 23-month-old Red Toy Poodle called Peggy holds the title of resident model at Pets at Home, and already she has clocked up a huge number of photo shoots during her working life, including her most recent one for Pets at Home’s new app...
A 23-month-old Red Toy Poodle called Peggy holds the title of resident model at Pets at Home.
Peggy has clocked up a huge number of photo shoots during her working life, including her most recent one for Pets at Home’s new app.
Her owner is Helen Welsby, Pets at Home category marketing manager, who said: "Peggy has joined me in the office every day since she was scouted out by the fashion team when she was two months old.
“Since then, she has become an integral part of modelling the garments that make the cut. She is a right diva and if she doesn’t approve then she will turn her nose up at it.”
She even has her own Instagram account where she treats her 1,400-plus fans to behind the scenes footage and a sneak peek into the life of a doggy model.
Nutriment teams up with online retailer Ocado
Nutriment is making six of its core lines – Salmon, Chicken & Lamb, Beef, Turkey, Lamb and Chicken – as well as the new Laverstoke offer available to online supermarket retailer Ocado...
Nutriment is making six of its core lines – Salmon, Chicken & Lamb, Beef, Turkey, Lamb and Chicken – as well as the new Laverstoke offer available to online supermarket retailer Ocado.
According to the company a close-knit partnership with Ocado provides perfect symmetry for Nutriment, a young, bustling, family-owned business that began life itself as an online, home delivery pet food pioneer, offering top-grade BARF recipes.According to sales director, Peter Nicholas, "the timing for such a mutually beneficial partnership couldn’t have been better for our coming-of-age pet food operation.
"We’re now at that point in our life when we needed to align with a forward-thinking retailer with a broad, nationwide reach.
"By working alongside such an esteemed online operator we saw a partner who could help us spread the raw story without compromising our commitment to a resurgent independent sector." This latest development comes quick on the heels of forging ties with Laverstoke Park Farm which has resulted in a new purpose-built facility, a new tier of ‘organic orientated’ pet food meals and a welcome foray into nutritionally indulgent pet treats. For more information visit www.nutriment.co
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Pooch & Mutt is advertising the fact that its new 75% meat treats are now available in Morrisions and Tesco.
It has sent out a newsletter to its database of customers with the announcement (pictured above).
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Vet group invests £300,000 in new clinic
A family-run vet group is investing £300,000 into a new clinic in Widnes that plans to play scientifically composed music into its dog and cat wards to soothe and relax pets during their stay...
A family-run vet group is investing £300,000 into a new clinic in Widnes that plans to play scientifically composed music into its dog and cat wards to soothe and relax pets during their stay.
White Cross Vets' new site in the Upton Rocks area of Widnes is opening this week, creating 15 jobs.
The practice will be run by local vets Archie Cummings and Louise Farrington and veterinary nurses Chloe Isherwood and Helen Murray.
Cummings said: "Our practice is located in an easily accessible new development close to Widnes town centre. It's the fourth practice to open in the North West, as we already have two practices in Liverpool and one in St Helens, and we are very much looking forward to caring for all the much loved family pets here in Widnes.
"Our new practice is a state-of-the-art, fully equipped veterinary surgery where we will be able to perform a wide range of procedures from routine vaccinations and neutering through to emergency operations and orthopaedic work.
"We will be the first veterinary practice in Widnes to use a revolutionary North American concept that reduces stress for pets by playing scientifically composed, relaxing music, which has been endorsed by leading animal behaviourists, into the separate dog and cat wards.
"This is proven to create a calming atmosphere that helps to soothe and relax pets during their time with us in the practice."
Pictured: Archie Cummings with his pet Maggie.
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Pet retailer Pets Corner has created new jobs with the opening of a store in the East Sussex town of Heathfield.
The store, which is located at Tilsmore Court, opened its doors to the public for the first time earlier this month.
The shop stocks a selection of live animals including fish, reptiles and furries.
Regional manager Adam Powell said: "We are delighted to be bringing our animal expertise to Heathfield. Everyone at Pets Corner is incredibly passionate about animals and we are committed to delivering the highest quality of service and care to all our customers and their pets.
"The whole team has been classroom trained in giving advice that will help make pets’ lives as safe and happy as possible. We are looking forward to meeting our Heathfield customers and helping them with all their pet related requirements."
Pets Corner operates more than 160 stores across the UK. For the year to September 2015, the company generated pre-tax profits of £2.8m on turnover of £34.9m.
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New premises for Dorwest
Dorwest Herbs has moved to a new purpose-built facility in Dorchester, Dorset. The new premises incorporate both office and production under one roof...
Dorwest Herbs has moved to a new purpose-built facility in Dorchester, Dorset. The new premises incorporate both office and production under one roof.
The new headquarters will integrate the third-generation family business’s licensed production unit with the sales and marketing offices.
Dorwest is also looking forward to hosting open days for veterinary professionals, retail stockists and industry experts in the coming months. Anyone interested should contact trade@dorwest.com
Dorwest was founded in 1948, so has more than 65 years specialist experience in companion animals and herbal treatments and is now known throughout the world.
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Dave Hulse, Technical Consultant for Tetra, comments on the possible reasons why the Olympic pools may have turned green in Rio.“The most likely reason for the appearance of the green water in the swimming pools at Rio is algae. The cause of algae in swimming pools is the same as the cause in garden ponds and tanks, the algae grows due to plentiful sunlight and nutrients in the water.
"However there is one crucial difference between algae management in fish ponds and swimming pools, specifically the employment of disinfection (usually by chlorine), in swimming pools which is supposed to kill off green water algae. Clearly such disinfection would be disastrous in a fish pond…
"Hence the management of algae in fish ponds and swimming pools is utterly different, though one parallel exists – the use of flocculents like Algorem or CrystalWater.
"I would imagine what has happened in Rio is a plant failure or human error with the disinfection system, not enough chlorine has gone into the pool. Also the chlorine dosing regime is pH and hardness dependent, therefore the pool manager should be monitoring these important parameters and dosing chlorine accordingly. Also the chlorine is unstable in the water hence regular redosing is vital.
"Once algae establishes in a pool it is hard to get rid of, (just like in a pond), the treatment involves elevating the chlorine level, (not good for the divers), using a flocculent to clump algae together then vacuuming and filtering out the clumps.
"When an algae bloom strikes in a pond, obviously disinfection is not an option, so the pond keeper can use herbicides, flocculents, and ultraviolet clarifiers to remove the algae, they then have to test the water quality and manage accordingly to lower the nutrient level to prevent algae occurring again. Shading can work aswell.
"So what parallels between green water in Rio and green water in a garden pond; if we assume the green colour is due to algae, then algae growth can be prevented in both cases by monitoring water quality and installing and managing properly a filtration and water treatment system.”
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A brave Border Collie could be named the UK’s most miraculous pet after surviving against the odds following an horrific collision with a car.
Four-year-old Mist has been nominated for vet charity PDSA’s annual Pet Survivor awards by her owners, Catherine and Robin Davies from South Wales, after she survived a near-fatal hit-and-run accident earlier this year.
While out walking with her owner, something spooked Mist causing her to run off, straight under the wheels of a car, which didn’t stop.
Catherine said: “It all happened so quickly, and we were in completely shock. It was Saturday so I called our vet - Abbey Vets in Abergavenny – then we drove straight there. Mist was struggling to breathe and she was clearly in a lot of pain. Both her front and back legs were severely damaged. It was at this point I realised that we were in danger of losing her.”
Mist was given pain relief and emergency care, and her injuries were assessed. She had severe internal bruising and had dislocated her front right elbow and rear left hip. Without immediate emergency care, it’s unlikely that she would have survived.
Mist stayed over the weekend then was transferred to Langford Veterinary Hospital in Bristol for specialist care. She needed major surgery to pin her hip and her front leg was put in plaster. Mist required round-the-clock intensive care and nursing for a week.
Owner Catherine added: “The vets were brilliant, Mist had such fantastic care and they called us every day with updates. I was also very thankful I’d taken out pet insurance with PDSA, as I don’t know how we would have covered the cost otherwise. Putting Mist down wasn’t an option – she means the world to me – I would’ve given up a kidney to save her but thankfully it didn’t come to that!”
When Mist was well enough to come home the Davies family took turns to provide 24-hour care for her. She needed complete cage rest and a harness was used to help her go to the toilet. But slowly and steadily over the next six weeks Mist’s legs healed and she regained her strength. Catherine’s daughter even put regular ‘Pupdates’ on Facebook so friends and family could keep up with her recovery.
Catherine added: “We’ve had Mist since she was a puppy and she’s my baby really! We took out insurance straight away as we know it’s important, we chose PDSA Petsurance as we wanted a policy that paid the vet directly, and they offered a competitive rate. I’m so glad we did too – Mist’s care cost over £6,000 in total.”
PDSA’s Pet Survivor Awards are open to any pet treated by a vet in the UK for a life-threatening illness or injury between 1 August 2015 and 1 August 2016. Pet owners wishing to nominate their pet can enter online at www.pdsa.org.uk/petsurvivor. The closing date is midnight on Sunday 25 September.
PDSA Vet and Pet Survivor judge, Rebecca Ashman, said: “Every week, dedicated vet teams save lives and help to get our beloved pets back on their paws after serious injury and illness. The PDSA Pet Survivor Awards celebrate those extraordinary cases which capture a pet’s fighting spirit, their owner’s dedication and the expertise and skills of the vet professionals, saving lives and nursing them back to health. The stories we hear never fail to amaze us, and we’re looking forward to hearing about many more miracle pets.”
From the entries received, a panel of judges will shortlist a small group of miracle pets to take part in a public vote. The pet that receives the most votes will be declared PDSA Pet Survivor 2016 and will win a year’s PDSA pet insurance*.
PDSA Petsurance is currently offering up to 5% discount on policies taken out online, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/petsurance. Quotes are also available by calling 0800 980 6000. PDSA Petsurance is selected by PDSA’s vets to offer the best protection for pets, and every policy contributes to the charity’s vital work helping pets in need.
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A pet rehoming and advice centre hin Newport as been given the go-ahead, despite opposition from residents.
The centre, which will be built on the site of a former Riverside Surgery on Willenhall Street, had several objections from neighbours, including Jeffrey Baggott, who lives on the street behind the previous doctor’s surgery.
Speaking to the Argus in June, Mr Baggott, 52, said how the centre, may cause disturbance to elderly residents because of the noise.
Mr Baggott believed the rehoming centre would have animals kept in overnight, disturbing residents.
Man admits stealing snakes from pet shop
Detectives probing the theft of numerous exotic pets, including a bearded dragon and tarantula, from a pet shop found CCTV footage of a man with several snakes stuffed in a rucksack...
Detectives probing the theft of numerous exotic pets, including a bearded dragon and tarantula, from a pet shop found CCTV footage of a man with several snakes stuffed in a rucksack.
Green-haired animal collector Scott Goodison, 20, was seen sneaking out of Perth Pet Centre after helping himself to three corn snakes.
A major police probe was launched in February this year after it emerged the store had been robbed and several exotic animals had been taken.
Police Scotland appealed to the public to be on the lookout for the missing animals, which included potentially harmful creatures, such as tarantula spiders as well as bearded dragon lizards.
At Perth’s Justice of the Peace court, Goodison, of St Catherine’s Road, Perth, admitted stealing three corn snakes from Perth Pet Centre on February 18.
He was charged with stealing reptiles, a spider, electrical equipment and money but the Crown accepted a reduced plea to the snakes only.
The court was told Goodison, who lives near the pet shop premises, had a number of “issues” and sentence was deferred for reports.
It is understood the snakes were recovered from Goodison’s home and had not suffered any ill-effect from being moved from the pet store.
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A pet shop near Whitchurch held a fundraising day in support of a Shropshire animal rescue centre.
Bradeley Green Pet Supplies hosted a summer fun day and dog show to raise funds for the family-run Grinshill Animal Rescue, which relies solely on donations from the public.
Attractions on the day included grooming demonstrations, a performance by the Whitchurch Dog Display Team, a fun dog show and a doggy photo booth. A grand total of £195 was raised which will go towards food for the animals, rehabilitation, vet bills and toys.
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