•  4x2kg - £15.95
• 12kg -   £19.95
• 15kg Working Dog - £25.07

Pop by GA’s stand at PATS (Stand:L3) to pick up your free sample of Grain Free Duck, Sweet Potato and Orange.

For more information, contact GA Direct on 01257 633125 or email gadirect@ga-petfoodpartners.co.uk .

The treats are home-baked and made from 100% human grade ingredient, and organic as far as possible.

The company doesn’t use anything artificial, and there are no additives, preservatives, artificial colours or flavourings – everything is 100% natural.

To see Alfie & Molly’s new range of air dried treats and take advantage of the 10% discount offer for new customers visit stand F7 at PATS Sandown.

For more information about the company visit www.alfieandmolly.co.uk or call 01454 855767.

Pets Emporium is a well established business of over 35 years.

It's situated in the beautiful coastal area of North Norfolk in the village of Snettisham.

The shop is in a good location, is well presented with quality fixtures and fittings, holding a wide variety of food and accessories all merchandised to a high standard.



We have a loyal customer base throughout the year – the area is very dog friendly, with many hotels, holiday parks and second home owners. It all adds up to being a very busy area.

There are opportunities to re-establish boarding which was very viable and a profitable part of the business, and having the pet shop alongside makes it a good proposition.

It is a large detached property. The downstairs consists of shop, WC , staff room, two store rooms, kitchen and office. It has a spacious flat with kitchen, dining area, large lounge, master bedroom with en-suite, double bedroom and shower room. Outside there are large gardens, a garage and out buildings, and the property has ample customer parking.

It is a lovely life style business – the reason for sale is purely personal.

For more information contact Susan Hall on 07825581857 or email Susan.hall31@hotmail.co.uk

The new Torus Water Bowl range – 'Smart thinking for Pet Drinking' – is being launched to the pet trade on the Dog Rocks stand at PATS Sandown.

The Torus bowl, which filters and stores water, making it ideal for traveling, has seen recent success winning 'Product Innovation of the Year' from Pet Product Marketing, as well as 'New Product' recognition at the ANIDO Trade Show.

The bowl holds up to 2 litres of filtered water, keeping water fresh and clean, and the ergonomic design prevents spills. It's also lockable, making it easy to take travelling.

Torus recently conducted a survey to gain a deeper understanding of pet drinking habits and how pet owners currently accommodate their animal’s needs. The survey was sent to pet owners and pet retailers across the UK, Europe, United States and Canada.

Overall, 66 pet owners took part in the survey, owning more than 163 pets between them. Of this figure, 70% of people asked had two or more pets, with 15% owning more than five pets per household.

In terms of drinking habits, the result revealed that 59% of pets were drinking more than a litre of water a day, and in order to keep their pets hydrated 91% of owners replenished their pet’s water more than once a day, with 44% answering more than twice a day.

This can often be the result of a conventional bowl only holding a limited amount of water, becoming dirty or the water becoming warm and evaporating. However, spillages appeared to be a common issue for many pet owners with 72% answering water spills from the bowl on a regular basis.

Finally, when asked about drinking habits away from the home, 90% of pet owners ensure their pets remain hydrated by taking water and a bowl with them when travelling.

Just like humans, animals need plenty of fresh, clean water every day to remain healthy. How much a pet drinks is dependent on their size and activity levels, however, as their bodies are made up of 80% water, without regular hydration their health can easily suffer.

The Torus bowl not only stores up to 2 litres of water per day, eliminating the need for owners to replenish water on a regular basis, but it also locks away the water, turning it into a travel bowl.

As the water auto-replenishes into the drinking well, it is carbon-filtered to provide clean and fresh water throughout the day. The ergonomic design and rubber feet prevent spillages, even from the largest of dogs.

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.

How did the business progress?

I had just got married to Barbara, who worked for British Airways. We decided that we could just about exist on her wages while I built up the business. Everything was delivered in my old Ford car. We lived in a tiny flat at the time and products were stored all over the place.

As the business became larger I decided that we needed a van so that I could deliver more products. I purchased a beaten-up old Transit van that wouldn't pass an MOT let alone emission tests today!

My customers were always asking me for frozen meat, so I found a supplier, and installed two chest freezers in our kitchen. Saturday morning became ‘meat cutting and packing day’ with our parents helping with the packing. I spent four days delivering and one day knocking on doors.

After six months I purchased a very small shop in Ealing, West London, and turned it into a pet food shop. My mum and a friend ran the shop while I carried on with the deliveries. Eighteen months later a much larger shop became available in South Ruislip, Middlesex. We sold the small shop in Ealing to concentrate on the new one, which was called Pets Gourmet.


Was the new shop an instant success?

The business took off from day one, so much so that I couldn't carry on with the delivery rounds. The shop featured in ‘Which!’ magazine as one of the best five pet shops in the country. A film crew from the BBC came to the shop to film a feature for John Craven’s News Round. Our five minutes of fame was broadcast that evening. Business boomed. After 23 years in the shop I decided that we couldn't expand any more and decided to sell it.  By this time we had two sons and moved into a larger house.


So what did you do next?

I put on a suit, put some squeaky toys in a bag that I was importing from the States, made a four-page catalogue, turned the garage into a ‘warehouse’ and off I went to sell my products. I spent all day on the road, wrote the invoices up in the evening and boxed up the orders first thing in the morning for a friend to deliver the orders and then back out on the road again. It was great fun and long hours but most of all we made money.


What did you call the business?

It was a one-man band called Best Friends Pet Products Ltd and it became a very lucrative business. After six months I decided to move to a proper warehouse in Aylesbury, employ sales and office staff and a driver. I became the distributor of quality products that I was purchasing from the USA and Germany.

We were now really flying and the next step was to manufacture our own products, bedding from the UK and toys from around the world under the Best Friends label. We employed more sales and office staff as we were getting even busier.

We were always more expensive than our competitors but the products we sold were the best – that was our USP. TastyBone became part of our range of products in 2002.


What are your fondest memories from that time?

It was fun, tremendous hard work and long hours, I made many friends in the trade.


What have been the biggest changes in the industry over the years?

The industry has changed beyond all recognition. It has become very professional. The ‘old’ shops have virtually disappeared and been replaced by modern well run businesses with knowledgeable staff. The enormous variety and ideas of products for sale now are incredible.



What’s the story behind the TastyBone brand?

TastyBone was started after a game of croquet with my friend. His dogs kept on picking up the balls and tried to chew them. We had a Labrador-cross at the time and as we all know they would chew through a brick wall. An idea was born –what if I could flavour and colour a croquet ball!? A few months later we launched The TastyBall in two sizes and three flavours. TastyBall became part of the range of products that we sold when we had BFPP Ltd. We manufactured and hoped to sell a few hundred at Petindex/Glee in 2003 – in fact we secured orders for 15,000 balls, mostly for export . In those days we had no idea how to export. We decided to expand the range into TastyBones, producing more flavours and sizes than the leading brand at the time.

We realised that TastyBone was the future for us. It was and still is a unique product with many USPs – all TastyBone products are designed, manufactured and packed in the UK.

We sold BFPP Ltd two and a half years ago to concentrate on TastyBone Ltd and we now have 35 distributors across the globe. It has become a worldwide brand winning export awards along the way.


Why have you decided to sell TastyBone?

We made the decision to sell the company as we were not getting any younger and it was becoming too big for us to take further without employing more staff and taking on more warehouse space. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved with TastyBone in such a short time and it was a difficult decision to sell it on. TastyBone is now in safe hands and has become part of Pets Choice who I am sure will take it to further heights.


Are you sad to be leaving the industry?

Yes but it really is time to retire. Barbara and I have worked very long hours and it's now time to realise our asset. I feel we have done almost everything that the pet trade could throw at us.


What are you going to do in your retirement?

My hobby and passion has always been sailing. I have owned racing dinghies and become a sailing and power boat instructor. I will probably volunteer to teach disabled people to sail and drive power boats. I also have a small yacht based in Portsmouth and intend to sail around the coast of Britain. I have also been offered a job in the yachting business - not sure I will take it up.

We intend to travel extensively and most of all have fun. We have a great family and many friends and we will spend more time with them. All of the above couldn't have been possible without the support, encouragement and hard work of Barbara, who has always supported me 100% no matter what idea I came up with next.


Will you keep in touch with people in the industry?

The 2016 Pet Industry Awards Dinner will then take place in the evening after the daytime Forum.

These Awards are the leading pet industry honours which have grown in popularity year on year. Last year over 250 guests attended.

The event not only celebrates those pet businesses that have made outstanding achievements throughout the year, but it also provides a fantastic opportunity for the whole industry to come together, socialise and network in convivial atmosphere with three-course meal, entertainment and live band, all within the stunning setting of Wokefield Park.

Details of the 2016 awards categories and how pet businesses can enter are available now under the Events section of www.petfederation.co.uk

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The store, called 1st 4 Pets, in Southchurch Drive, Clifton, shut earlier this month after seeing a rapid decline in business since work to expand the tram network began four years ago.

Owner John Barlow, 45, ran the business for 16 years, but says he is now moving to premises in nearby Ilkeston after seeing a huge drop in customers.

Mr Barlow says the tram has led to people shopping outside the Clifton area, and he also blamed restricted parking since the tram platform was built outside his shop's door.

Nottingham City Council, which was behind the expansion, said it had given financial aid to Mr Barlow during the tram works and there were parking spaces nearby.

Mr Barlow said: "I've been here for 30 years and I feel angry and annoyed that the tram has effectively driven me out of business here.

"They gave us 70% of our losses, which was just under £1,000 for the two-and-a-half-years. Despite that, we're still between £35,000 and £40,000 down overall, including our losses since the expansion.

"What annoys me is that they said the tram would bring more business to the area, but in reality it's 16 years down the swanny.

"We have literally had one person come in from the tram in the past nine months. It's absolutely pathetic. This boost that the tram promised for businesses in the area clearly hasn't worked out.

"The council also need to hold their hands up and say they haven't done enough to help the decline of small businesses in Clifton. Its disheartening that they won't do anything to stop it from happening."

An NET project spokesperson from the city council said: "We have been supporting the owners of 1st 4 Pets throughout the development of the tram, through Clifton including providing them with financial assistance well beyond the start of tram services.

"The amount of parking available in this part of Clifton remains largely unchanged since the introduction of the tram, with spaces just a short way from the shop.

"Any business planning will need to consider the general trading situation that exists today, which is very different to the situation that existed four years ago."

Jelf offers a choice of two fantastic support Auto-Enrolment packages which will help PIF member businesses negotiate the minefield of Pension Auto-Enrolment and ensure that they correctly comply with the Pension Regulator’s legislation. With an offer of 5% discount off the standard cost of Jelf’s Auto-Enrolment support, PIF members will be able to access high quality streamlined guidance and information to help them establish which option is most suitable for their business.

Features covered within the package include both initial Consultancy and ongoing technical support to make sure things remain on track with frequently changing pension and auto-enrolment issues.

Nigel Baker, PIF Chief Executive said: ‘Many businesses could be unaware of their need to comply with new pensions laws.

"There can be heavy fines if you fail to meet the Government’s auto-enrolment deadlines, something which can be easily overlooked if your priority is running your business and keeping your clients happy.

"There are certain deadlines which small businesses will need to hit, so our new arrangement with Jelf has arrived just at the right time. We’d urge our members to speak to Jelf and find out more."

For further details of how to sign up to the Jelf Auto-Enrolment scheme, visit www.petfederation.co.uk or telephone 01234 273933 to speak to a member of the customer service team.

Feedback from more of the buyers included comments from Dubai’s largest garden centre chain, saying that it intends to work as a distributor for up to six of the UK companies that attended the event, in addition to sourcing products for its Dubai retail outlet from two of the other participating suppliers. The Dubai company is looking to expand its activities by setting up distribution across the GCC states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and across the UAE, as well as India.

A similar reaction has been received from the French distributor who attended the event. Potentially the firm could be doing business with half of the companies it met at the ‘Meet the Buyers’ event. Other pet and garden product overseas buyers who participated expect to deal with up to five of the suppliers seen, and the specialist US mail order and online retailer that met with UK suppliers has stated that it is interested initially in sourcing products from three of the companies.

The positive reaction from the overseas buyers was echoed by the UK suppliers and the organisations that manned information desks at the event. Following their presentation, Factum Partners, which provides business improvement and growth strategies for SMEs, had been approached by a number of companies about their services to the US market, and representatives from both UKT Trade & Investment and UK Export Finance reported similar results.

The latest PetQuip and Gardenex ‘Meet the Buyers’ event was held on 2 March 2016 at Lea Marston Hotel, Sutton Coldfield. The date of the next ‘Meet the Buyers’ event is 8th June 2016 and it will be held at the Federation’s offices in Brasted, and a leading German mail order company has already confirmed attendance.

The PetQuip association is organising the British group at Interzoo 2016 in Nuremberg in May this year, and in its role as a UK Trade & Investment Trade Challenge Partner has been successful in its bid for cash grants for eligible exhibitors. 

PetQuip has been able to secure and reserve a prime location for the British Pavilion at the show, which is the world’s biggest trade fair for pet supplies. 

Exhibitors in the group at previous shows have returned to the UK with significant overseas business, bringing the comment from one exhibitor: “It was the most successful event that we have exhibited at in our 12 years of being manufacturers in the trade."

A survey carried out by PetQuip at the close of the previous Interzoo exhibition recorded that the British group exhibitors saw visitors from over 75 different countries and that the UK firms received an average of 75 enquiries each.

The British pet product business information stand, manned by multi-lingual PetQuip personnel, also welcomed buyers from 55 countries and generated over 50 more direct business leads for its member companies.  The information stand will be organised and manned by the PetQuip team again in 2016.

The show will provide exhibitors with an ideal opportunity to present products to a global professional audience.  More than 37,000 visitors travel to Interzoo from over 100 countries, attracted to the show by Interzoo’s comprehensive product spectrum, with themes such as equestrian sports, pet food technology, shop fittings and IT systems displayed alongside more traditional products for dogs, cats, small mammals, birds, aquaria and terraria.

Comprehensive exhibition package from PetQuip

In addition to securing a prime location for the British pavilion at the front of one of the main halls, PetQuip is offering its comprehensive package of exhibition support services aimed at simplifying the whole process of exhibiting for British companies. 

The association will offer advice and information about how to prepare for the show, from free press and promotion to attracting the right buyers to the stand and advice on the best approach to following up sales leads following the show. 

The package includes everything from floor space and lighting to stand cleaning, assistance with freight, travel and accommodation, pre-show guidance and promotion, on-site assistance and post-show promotion and market research. 

Interested companies should contact Theresa Swann theresa@petquip.com or Emma Lewis emma@petquip.com