Family-owned Wildwood Pets, based in the Lincolnshire market town of Stamford, has been named UK Retailer of the Year (Independent) in the prestigious PetQuip Awards. Owner Thomas Rogerson, who runs the store alongside wife Laura, reveals the secrets of the company’s success.

Thomas said: “During the evening the host reiterated what we thought of the finalists this year – the cream of the crop of UK pet stores – and honestly to us it was an honour to just be part of that line-up. It wouldn’t have surprised us if any one of them had taken the top spot but for us to be chosen as this year's gold winner was a true honour.”

Why do you think you won this prestigious award?

“The host spoke of the winner having a great reputation among the local community and provided several services, such as the private shopping service for nervous dogs and humans, as a key element that set us apart. This pleased us very much as that is exactly what we are trying to achieve – a pet store that is accessible, comfortable and welcoming to all pets and people.”

How long has Wildwood Pets been open?

“The store is still less than two years old, which has flown by. We opened the branch in January 2024. The company was formed back in April of last year and we started very small, from our garage with around 400 lines and a website, whilst we looked for the right premises in the right location which took a while. Stamford is an amazing town and the support for independent shops is incredible.”

Who owns the business?

“Myself and wife Laura are the directors and owners of the company. Hopefully one day our two little Wildwoods will take over – they get plenty of time in store 'helping' but since they are only two and five years old, retirement is a little way off for us!”

What are your backgrounds?

“We are animal people through and through. I have experience in pet retail, around a decade in both chains and other independents. Most recently I was a district manager of a chain overseeing five stores. I have been a lecturer for animal management courses at a college, education presenter at a zoological park and worked with the Wildlife Trusts. Laura has worked in vet practices, been a volunteer dog trainer with an assistance dog charity and is a qualified Clinical Canine Massage Therapist. We met at university when I was studying Zoology, and she was doing Animal Science.”

How many members of staff are there?

“We currently have five fantastic members of staff – Iona, Francesca, Emily, Natalie and Katie. We usually have a very hardworking student from the local college on work experience most of the year too.”

What makes you different from your competitors?

“Firstly, the staff. When hiring we made it clear in any job ads that experience and qualifications were great, but it would come down to passion and willingness to jump into the unknown with us. Iona and Francesca have been with us from opening and interviewed in a completely empty space but could see our vision and loved the concept. All of them are passionate, knowledgeable and build relationships with customers. I also used my years of experience to plan out our space thoroughly. We have a dedicated space for trying on harnesses and coats, ramps so it is accessible for all and a spacious store to allow customers with dogs to shop comfortably. We have a relaxed atmosphere with background music, an attractive entrance and even kids trolleys so families are well catered for. A recent addition was our new workshop room which has already been booked by local dog trainers, photographers and for lectures.”

How do you attract and retain customers?

“We rely heavily on word of mouth, although not our only marketing tool as we run ads in local advertisers and attend local shows & fairs. The money saved on larger marketing campaigns we make sure we constantly revise our product ranges to suit our customer base and improve the store. When customers shop with us, we want it to be an experience that is very important to us. They then pass that onto their friends and family. This has proved successful and we have seen a constant steady growth since opening.”

How involved do you get in the local community?

“We try to, when possible, work with the local pet community. We have a large noticeboard space for local pet businesses, and we are working with several people and groups to host various days and events on site. That is the benefit of a larger store. Alongside raising funds, we are a drop off point for physical donations for three local animal charities and rescues. Now with the workshop room we can invite them to use our space and facilities too.”

How important is your website and social media?

“Very! Social media is a great tool for connecting with your customer base and having a practical and attractive website backs that up. It is one of Laura’s main roles. It can help reach a wider audience than other forms of marketing at a much lower cost.”

What’s the secret of your success?

“Passionate pet-orientated staff, a lot of hard work and ethics. We had a very particular vision when building this business. We and our families painted all the walls, built all the racking, stocked the shelves and spent hours researching the right products. We are particular in what we will and won’t stock. We set ourselves strict rules from making sure particular ingredients aren’t in any of our food and treats to only holding certain shaped harnesses. A big part of staff training is explaining why we don’t stock certain products, but we never talk down any product or business, we just state our research findings. That comes across very well to most customers.”

What advice would you give other independent pet retailers?

“Don’t feel like you need the big-name brands if you don’t believe they are the right thing for your store or your customers. There are so many different products out there, often made by great little companies, and something different from the local big chain or supermarket will win you more customers than you might lose.”

How do you see your business developing over future years?

“Hopefully to grow our community connections and work with more local businesses. We have space to host smaller events and displays which we love doing. We also want to do more local fairs and shows, to get our name out there and meet potential new customers directly. Thomas is also very passionate about exotic pets and wants to develop a space more tailored to that. Finally, we want to review our ranges with fresh eyes and most up-to-date research to see how we can improve our product ranges further.”

For more information visit https://wildwoodpets.co.uk