Nationwide pet retailer Jollyes has reported record Christmas sales driven by higher demand at existing stores, new store openings and online. 

Overall sales in the four weeks to 31 December hit a new high, up 31 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier as December sales set new company records for the second year in a row. 

The figures were lifted by new stores and acquisitions which meant Jollyes by the year end was trading from 84 stores over the period, against 67 previously. 

Even after excluding new stores, like for like revenues were 19 per cent higher than the previous year and 39 per cent higher than Christmas 2020.   

And that December like-for-like growth wasn’t driven by inflation – transactions grew by 9.6 per cent in December as Jollyes continues to build its appeal. 

As in previous years, to give colleagues a well-deserved break, stores were closed for three trading days in the period - Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. 

Jollyes’ busiest day was Friday 23 December when it served 38,000 customers in store, equivalent to one sale every 75 seconds - an all-time high for the business.   

Owners pampered their pets and treated them to presents in line with findings from a comprehensive survey carried out by Jollyes ahead of Christmas. 

That showed Brits may have been planning to cut back on Christmas spending, but were spared from the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

Almost 70 per cent of pet owners put a present under the tree for their pets at Christmas with a surge in demand for gifts for dogs and cats including squeaky yetis, gonks, winter coats and cosy beds.  

The trend for treating furry companions like members of the family – highlighted during the pandemic which showed the mental health benefits of keeping pets – was stronger than ever. 

Other Christmas trading highlights included: 

• A four-fold increase in sales of Jollyes’ premium artisan Lifestage dog food as customers traded up for Christmas, with Angus beef topping the menu followed by venison and duck. 
• Significant sales of Jollyes’ new dog natural treats ranges, with buffalo ears growing exponentially alongside pig ears which remain a favourite Christmas snack for dogs. 
• Following significant investment in the range, provenance and quality of its products, half of all Jollyes customers now prefer its private label dog food to the brands, generating over 1,500 five star reviews.  
• Jollyes also made progress with private label cat food this holiday – for the first time Rileys became its best-selling cat food with almost a third of its wet food customers buying the brand in December. 
• Other winners include a doubling of sales on Jollyes’ new LF Millers’ hay for rabbits, and a doubling of sales of frozen raw dog food as more and more customers are attracted to Jollyes’ roll out of frozen raw shop-in-shops. 
• As it builds a compelling digital offer, Jollyes saw a 23 per cent rise in online traffic in December. 
• And stores did a great job supporting their communities too – they helped serve over 60,000 Xmas dinners through the donation of Lifestage Festive dog food Tins – and Jollyes plans to build on that by giving an additional 10,000 dog meals to local food banks in January and February. 
• The bumper seasonal sales followed a strong half year to 27 November when sales rose 23 per cent to £53.2 per cent and keeps Jollyes on track to reach its goals of £100 million turnover and 1,000 colleagues this year and 100 stores within 18 months.  

New stores for 2022 included Edinburgh Hermiston Gait and Llanelli in December, Glenrothes and Stirling in Scotland, Wrexham in North Wales, Cookstown in Northern Ireland, Southport, Poole and Stockton-on-Tees, as well as the July acquisition of Penparc with five stores in the Midlands. 

Jollyes has six new stores lined up in the first half of 2023, starting with Peterborough on Saturday 28 January followed by Port Glasgow near Greenock at the end of February. 

Jollyes chief executive, Joe Wykes, said: “I want to give all our colleagues a massive thank you for their hard work serving customers this Christmas.   

"We had a record-breaking Christmas because we have the best people in pet retailing. 

"All our stores, whether they’re long established or newly opened, are well on the road to becoming go-to destinations for their local pet parents. 

“The service our colleagues provide in their communities is one of the secrets of our current success – and it’s clear from our record performance that the value for money we provide our customers, is resonating in the towns we trade.”