Being passionate about pets and offering a friendly service are key ingredients in any independent pet store, according to Peter Dimambro, owner of the award-winning The Pet Centre in Minehead, Somerset.

Fresh from picking up a prestigious PPRA award at PATS Sandown, Peter explained how he caters for a growing number of customers

What makes The Pet Centre so special?
To be honest I really don't know what makes us special. I do know that I am passionate about the independent pet trade, and that I have fantastic staff who share the passion. They absorb training, share knowledge, and have superb customer skills. I also encourage a friendly atmosphere in the store.

Why do you think you won this award?
I have no idea.

How does it make you feel to have been recognised for your hard work?
Words can't describe how I feel. I am so proud.

Do you spend a lot of time and energy on customer care?
The business is all about customer care – without our customers we could not exist. It's all about enjoying our work and customers can feel that. Happy staff plus happy customers equals great atmosphere.

Do you have a regular customer base?
We are lucky, we have a large customer base. With Minehead also being a holiday destination, we have a good supply of visitors.

Are all of your staff knowledgeable about pets?
We can't sell things without knowing about them, we also cant know everything. We all have our favourites, therefore we all specialise in different things. It's easier to gain knowledge if you have an interest.

What advice would you give other independent pet retailers?
Look at why you do this. It's not a quick buck trade, it's a hard trade with competition from everywhere. If you get up in the morning and don't want to go to work, then you probably shouldn't. Constantly evolve – just because you have always done something a certain way, doesn't mean it's right.

What are the secrets of your success?
if I had to pinpoint it, it's my staff, my customers and of course my family.

How many people do you employ?
Myself (full-time) and seven part-time staff.

In the PPRA Award round-up, comments about The Pet Centre included:
“This shop is extremely friendly, and offers very knowledgeable advice and information.”
“They have a fabulous reputation with their customers, offering an excellent range of products.” 

For more information visit www.thepetcentre.co.uk

Ideal Balance is an exciting new brand of canine and feline petfood from Hill’s and their biggest brand launch since Science Plan broke the mould in 1968. Until now, there has been no petfood brand which fully captures the potential of ‘natural’ while also offering advanced nutrition credentials. This is a tremendous opportunity to give your customers exactly what they want.

With Ideal Balance, there’s no need for pet owners to compromise on nutrition or their desire for fresh, natural ingredients. With fresh chicken as the first ingredient, it’s a brand that appeals to both the head and the heart and it occupies a new and exciting space in the petfood category.

Sales of natural petfood brands are growing from strength to strength, making it a trend that retailers cannot afford to ignore. And humanisation of petfoods is another strong driver: we want our pets to eat food of the same quality that we do.

Hill’s is perfectly positioned to combine this drive for high quality, wholesome and healthy ingredients with nutritional excellence that avoids nutrient deficiencies and excesses. Nutritional expertise and an ingrained rigorous approach to quality, means Ideal Balance is a brand that will deliver in every respect.

With brown rice as the main carbohydrate source, the range contains no wheat, maize or soy and ingredients like apples and flax seed feature in the nutritious recipe.  All of this and the attractive ‘fresh meat first’ proposition too!

Again picking up on humanisation of petfoods as a major influence on consumers’ purchasing habits, Ideal Balance ‘No Grain’ dry is a show-stopping option within the range. As well as being the ideal choice for pets with individual dietary requirements, ‘No Grain’ will resonate with consumers that demand cereal-free recipes. 

So if Hill’s has hit the shoppers’ sweet spot with fresh meat first, naturals, no grain and three flavours in the canned product, how excited should retailer be about the profit potential? Priced to reflect a high-end premium proposition, Ideal Balance* starts at £4.99 for 700 gram Canine dry (or £5.49 for the ‘No Grain’ option) and £3.89 for 300 gram Feline dry (£4.29 for No Grain). 

Avoid the rush and take advantage of your ‘heard it first status’: pre-order by calling Barry (01923 814539) or Helen (01923 814596) in our telesales team.

*Retail selling prices are recommendations only and there is no obligation on the customer/retailer to comply with these recommendations

One of the most talked about new product at the recent PATS Sandown was the Easy-Tie dog accessory from Happy Paws, a simple device that allows owners to secure their animal easily, safely and quickly without taking the lead off the collar.

Easy-Tie is the first creation of Happy Paws Innovations, a new UK product development company who create fun and functional products, accessories, bedding and toys.

Happy Paws Managing Director Tim Joannides says: "PATS Sandown 2014 was where we officially launched the Easy-Tie - a clever dog accessory.

"At the show we were overwhelmed with the volume of orders we took and level of interest in the Easy-Tie.

"We were also very impressed with how smoothly the two days were ran by the organisers and were so happy that the Easy-Tie was highly commended in the New Product Showcase. We will be attending again."

The Easy-Tie fills a real gap in the market being the only accessory of its kind. It's a great add-on convenience item, making the process of securing your dog about 10x faster, while also allowing dogs to remain connected to their lead, increasing their safety. With great test trading results under his belt, Tim is confident the Easy-Tie will be a top seller.

The Easy-Tie fits material and retractable leads of all sizes and is the perfect complementary item to pet shops' existing dog product lines.

For more information call 01792 346226, visit www.happy-paws.net, or email info@happy-paws.net

The 2014 awards are now open for entries in all seven categories, which are:

 1)     UK Pet Retailer of the Year

2)     International Retailer of the Year

3)     Supplier of the Year

4)     Wholesaler of the Year

5)     Pet Product Innovation of the Year

6)     Pet Product Exporter of the Year

7)     Lifetime Achievement Award

Entry for the awards is completely free of charge and companies or persons can enter as many categories as they wish.  Nominations need to be emailed to pat@petquip.com by 30th June 2014.  Nominations can come directly from the entrant or be submitted by another party.  The application needs to provide full contact details of the entrant and stipulate which category they wish to enter.  Applications need to include brief information on the reason for the entry and why the particular product, company or person qualifies for an award.  On receipt of an entry, PetQuip will forward a simple form for the entrant to complete that will provide entry information for the judges.  The form will be accompanied by the Terms and Conditions.

The entries will be judged by an independent panel of judges during August and the winners will be announced at the PetQuip Awards Party on 14 September 2014, which is being staged in association with Impact Exhibitions, the organiser of PATS Harrogate.

Pat Flynn commented: ‘”PATS has proved to be a fantastic trade show for the industry, and our awards are intended to recognise  some of the major achievements of the past season, whilst also bring an element of fun to the event.  We have been fortunate to recruit The Rockits, the resident band from the Cavern Club in Liverpool, to provide the entertainment at the event, which is being held in the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.  The Rockits are a fantastic group, and their performance at a recent industry event resulted in eight encores!”

Further information on these prestigious awards, details of how to enter and the booking form to secure Early Bird Discount tickets for the awards and party night are available from Pat Flynn on telephone (+44) 07778 313623 or e-mail:  pat@petquip.com; or from the PetQuip secretariat on 01959 565995 or e-mail: info@petquip.com 

Companies wishing to explore the commercial and publicity opportunities available in sponsoring an award should contact Pat Flynn.

Pictured: Jo Lapidge of Litter Kwitter receives the Exporter of the Year gold award from Amanda Sizer Barrett, PetQuip’s director general at last year’s awards.

Take-aways, biscuits, chips and even alcohol – are all fuelling an ongoing obesity crisis for British pets, whose collars are bursting at the buckles due to our addiction to high-calorie, fatty diets.

According to vet charity PDSA, more than 10 million pets* are getting fatty treats, due to owners sharing their own unhealthy eating habits with their pets in a well-intentioned but misguided attempt to make them happy.

Exclusive PDSA research shows that around nine out of ten owners (87%) give pets treats, despite the fact that 91% realise the resulting obesity can reduce their pet’s lifespan. Around 2.5 million dogs (one in three) and over two million cats (one in four) are currently overweight and, not only could they have their lives cut short, they will also have a drastically reduced quality of life in some cases.

Scotland topped the lardy league table when it comes to lavishing animals with potentially deadly junk food, with 72% of owners admitting to giving fatty treats. Welsh pet owners are the next worst offenders, with 69% of owners over indulging their pets. Two in three North West pet owners (64%) are also loading their pets up with high-calorie, unsuitable snacks. While London pet owners scored the best, around half (48%) of owners are still feeding inappropriate food to their four-legged friends.  

To help combat the problem the charity is today launching its annual fat-fighting competition, PDSA Pet Fit Club. Over the last eight years, the contest has transformed the lives of some of Britain’s fattest pets, many of whom simply wouldn't have survived had their weight issues not been tackled.

Owners can enter their pets at www.pdsa.org.uk/petfitclub; the deadline for entries is Sunday 27 April 2014.

Elaine Pendlebury, PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, said: “Sadly, seeing morbidly obese pets is now an everyday occurrence in vet practices across the UK; it is one of the biggest welfare concerns facing the nation’s pets. It’s effectively a silent killer leading to long term health issues for pets that can cut their lifespan by up to two years.

“Pet obesity significantly increases the danger of developing major health problems such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease and can also bring about the onset of these chronic diseases much earlier. It’s tragic to think that millions of pets are suffering under the strain of carrying too much weight, when it is an entirely preventable condition.”  

PDSA’s 2013 PAW Report, produced in conjunction with YouGov, provides the biggest annual insight into pet health and welfare and has discovered a wide range of inappropriate treats are being fed to pets. These include fast food leftovers, crisps, biscuits, chocolate and chips. In some cases, it appears pets have also been helping themselves to leftover alcoholic drinks.

Dr Philippa Yam, leading animal obesity expert at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, said: “PDSA’s findings are very worrying and demonstrate that diet remains one of the most misunderstood welfare needs for pets. Obesity is one of the most pressing health issues affecting companion animals. PDSA’s work in this area is hugely successful.

“I am delighted to see that Pet Fit Club is continuing to make a real impact on pet obesity, by raising awareness of the issue and helping to transform the lives of many pets who were heading for an early grave due to the severity of their weight problems. PDSA’s programme clearly demonstrates that with tailored veterinary support and education, this devastating condition can be reversed.”

PDSA Pet Fit Club was launched in 2005 and has already helped 57 dogs, 24 cats and 3 rabbits lose a total of 295kg (46stone 6lb). This weight loss is the equivalent of nearly 300 bags of sugar, more than 4,400 sausages, 740 tins of dog food or over 1,000 blocks of lard.

The PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2013 – Survey of 2,078 pet owners (1,047 cat owners, 888 dog owners, 143 rabbit owners) was conducted between 15th - 29th May 2013. The survey was carried out online and weighted to be representative of the cat, dog and rabbit owners in the UK. Fatty treats data based on estimated UK pet population of 18 million.

Fat cat Bailey (6) from Dagenham, Essex, tips the scales at 8.8kg making him double the weight of a healthy cat.

The bulging black cat has a passion for food, food and more food and even out-muscles his canine companions – Ozzie and Ellie – when it comes to feeding time.

Janet Searle, Bailey’s owner, worries that he has an unhealthy obsession with food. In fact the mega moggie’s appetite has become so monstrous he’s even been known to make light work of a pig’s ear - a treat more often associated with dogs.

Janet said: “Bailey likes his food and I’ve seen him eat dog treats before. He dwarfs my one dog Ellie and I’ve even caught him tucking into a pig’s ear before. I’m not sure if he thinks he’s actually a dog because he will often join us on walks!”

Meanwhile, bulky Boxer Diesel, from Poole, has been big since a puppy, but his love of treats has led to the pounds piling on. He now weighs a staggering 58kg – making him around double his ideal weight.

Custard creams were a particular favourite, but his owner, Suzanne Fox (56) has now banned the sweet treat, as he can no longer squeeze through the dog flap.

Suzanne said: “Diesel used to chew the furniture when he was a puppy, so to help him grow out of this destructive habit, we started giving him a little treat. I have another Boxer, Tia, who is a healthy weight, so I was really shocked when I found out just how heavy Diesel was after talking to the PDSA vet. He loves going to the beach, so I hadn’t considered that his weight could cause him to have health problems in the future.”

Both pet owners are now following advice from PDSA vets and will be putting their pets forward to try and secure a place in the six-month slimming contest.

Last year’s Pet Fit Club winner was Jack Russell terrier Ruby, from Sunderland, who shed an impressive one-third of her bodyweight. When she started the six-month diet and exercise programme back in May 2013, she tipped the scales at 9.1kg (1st 6 lb), making her morbidly obese and more than 50% overweight.

Ruby’s waistline grew after she was adopted by owner Angela Martin (41) four years ago. A former stray, Ruby was ‘spoilt rotten’ to compensate for her tough start in life. But all the snacks and titbits led to unhealthy weight gain.

“It got to the stage where she couldn’t jump on the sofa or the bed,” said Angela. “The only thing she would move for was food. But now she’s like a puppy again and loves to run on the beach. Entering Pet Fit Club is the best thing we have done for Ruby.”

Find out more about Ruby here: http://youtu.be/WUYv8v_cIok

The diet food for the Pet Fit Club finalists is kindly sponsored by Hill's and Burgess. The winning cat and dog win a year's free food from Hill's, and the winning rabbit wins a year's free Burgess Excel food. The overall Pet Fit Club champ's owner will win a pet-friendly break, kindly sponsored by Hill's.



PDSA head nurse Lindsay Atkinson holds Ruby before Pet Fit Club 2013. Top picture: Ruby afterwards.

PetDreamHouse is a pet product supplier focusing on well-designed funky pet products, and its range of colourful feeding bowls certainly caught the attention of visitors to PATS Sandown...

"We only choose the product with great innovation, highest quality at an affordable price," said the company's Wen Liu.

"We develop great ideas into products together with our manufacturers, designers, pet owners, or anyone who shares the same vision with us.

"Our aim is to create a better life for many pets and their owners without compromising on style."

For more information visit www.petdreamhouse.com

Ceva Animal Health is launching a national TV advertising campaign to highlight the benefits of the UK’s leading veterinary behaviour product Feliway among cat owners.

Featuring the ‘Feliway’ purple cat playing happily in the home with its family, the 30-second advertisement will have three interchangeable voiceover options to raise awareness of common feline behaviours such as scratching and spraying furniture, loss of appetite and lack of interaction with the family. 

The campaign, which has the strapline ‘Happy Together’, will target ABC1 women and will be aired across ITV (London, South East and Midlands), Channel 4 (London, South and Midlands), ITV3, More4 and Film4 from 4 April.

For further information, please contact your local Ceva territory manager or contact 01494 781510.

"Participating in key industry events like PATS allows manufacturers to update retailers about additional sales opportunities. 

"Spring heralds longer and lighter days, encouraging both dogs and their owners to spend more time in the garden.  But it’s also when lawn damage from dog urine becomes more obvious, meaning there’s an increase in demand for products that solve this problem."

To help retailers make the most of this seasonal sales opportunity, Dog Rocks chose PATS Sandown to launch its partnership programme. This offers exclusive and on-going benefits including discounts on the first partnership order, alongside merchandising and support in achieving on-shelf sale optimisation. 

For added piece of mind Dog Rocks gives retailers a buy-back guarantee on any unsold stock. Similarly, to help stimulate customer demand consumers are offered a 100% refund if not completely satisfied.

Have you ever wondered what the potential is in the active dog market for your business? Well surveys showed that on average, 95% of people visited the outdoors in 2011 with walking being the most frequent activity undertaken and a quarter said they visited the outdoors because they exercised a dog. A further 90% also said that walking outdoors was more likely if they were dog owners. These figures present the perfect reason why stocking Stone’s snack bars is a no brainer for your business.

What’s more, adults living in Scotland made around 297 million visits to the outdoors in 2012 for leisure with nearly half of these visits accompanied by a dog.² That’s an estimated 134 million visits, underlining just how big the active dog market is. Among visitors to the outdoors, those accompanied by a dog were the most frequent visitors with 80% claiming to visit the outdoors at least once a day.²  And when they are out and about in the recent mild weather, what better way to keep a dog’s energy levels up than with Stones?

The bars are a convenient, portable snack, perfect to pop in a pocket on walks in the countryside. They provide a much needed energy boost and can be broken up in bite size pieces for use in training. Bars can even be given as a complete meal replacement without the fuss of feeding bowls. Looking at the figures, there is a huge potential opportunity in the active dog market across the UK for retailers to tap in to, with Stone’s as a strong market front runner.

As well as the potential profits, Stone’s snack bars contain no artificial colours and are packed with added vitamins and minerals for the consumer’s peace of mind. They also include added calcium for healthy bones and fibre to aid good digestion.

So this year why not tap into the potential and see the profits flowing? At £0.59 per bar it’s an impulse buy at the till but with millions of opportunities to snack, the figures really stack up.

Visit www.stonesactivedogs.com to view the complete range of healthy snacks and bars on offer.

Newly-listed retailer Pets at Home has strengthened its board with the appointment of former Britvic Chief Executive Paul Moody as a Non-Executive Director. 

After leaving the drinks firm last year, he has been Chief Executive of Food Freshness Technology, a high tech innovations company focused on delivering comprehensive solutions for food freshness.

Pets at Home Chairman Tony DeNunzio, said: "Paul's background and extensive experience and understanding of brand, marketing and consumer dynamics will be particularly useful as we continue to expand and grow Pets at Home.

"He has a strong track record in consumer-facing industries and will be a valuable addition to our board following our successful IPO."

Pedigree Wholesale has launched a full colour, 16 page brochure for its Animal Instincts range of pet accessories for dogs and cats. The brochure details the complete range of Animal Instincts products including toys, training and litter accessories, feeding bowls, beds and crates.

Animal Instincts products offer consumers excellent quality as well as a genuine benefit or point of difference, making them the very best choice.

For retailers the Animal Instincts brand offers a great range of bestselling lines, which give excellent margins and are supplied in high quality, eye-catching packaging.

Many Animal Instincts products have been designed by Pedigree Wholesale’s in-house design team to ensure the best choice of products that excel in terms of performance, presentation and value for money.

If you would like a copy of the Animal Instincts brochure or would like more information about Pedigree Wholesale call 0115 982 3900 or email info@petproducts.co.uk

Ceva Animal Health’s recent sponsorship of Crufts is set to boost sales of the UK’s leading veterinary behaviour product, Adaptil,among dog owners and breeders.

Sponsorship of the programme, which was aired throughout the four days of the show, attracted an audience of nearly 5.5 million viewers to raise awareness of Adaptil amongst both dog owners and breeders who frequently travel with their dogs.

Emma Jackson, Adaptil product manager at Ceva Animal Health, says: “Adaptil’s sponsorship of Crufts and More4’s dog evening has helped to raise awareness of the benefits of Adaptil amongst both dog owners and breeders, particularly the use of Adaptil collars to settle puppies into their new homes.”

For further information on Adaptil, contact 01494 781510.

You can access and control the camera remotely via a free, secure App for your computer, tablet or smartphone, and then you can watch live, record video and take snapshots with remote pan, tilt and digital zoom functions.

Lynda says she will keep us informed of how she's managing with the device.

New from the experts behind BeeMat, the BirdMat is a simple solution to help families bring nature to their own back door and start to learn the song of a robin or the colours of a blue tit!

A bio-degradable mat that is pre-seeded with a blend of native annual and perennial wildflowers, the new BirdMat contains seeds have been carefully selected to provide a ready food source of insects, seeds and materials for nesting once the plants are fully grown.

Suitable to lay in spring and summer, each 200 x 50cm biodegradable mat can be cut to size, enabling consumers to grow their bird-friendly plants in a variety of locations, including pots and hanging baskets. Alternatively the mat can be laid as a single piece, providing a thick coverage of wildflower and a banquet of blooms for wild birds.

Nigel Clarke, BirdMat Sales Manager, said: “Helping to provide the right habitat in our gardens for wild birds and get to know more about them couldn’t be easier with BirdMat. This simple seed matwill appeal to consumers of all ages and provide retailers with a great impulse buy opportunity.” 

BirdMat is packaged in an eye-catching informative box, available in retail packs of 36 suitable for the branded free-standing video merchandiser that holds 108 assorted mats and features an information video.

For further product and stockist more information please visit www.beemat.com or call 01476 530374.