Dean Richmond, managing director of Pets Corner, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the PetQuip Awards.

"I am genuinely shocked to receive this award," said Dean. "I had no idea I would be honoured in this way.

"We've come a long way with Pets Corner and this achievement is recognition for all the hard work and dedication from a talented team of people. I'm only 46 so I hope to be around this amazing industry for a long time to come."

In the citation announcing Dean Richmond’s Lifetime Achievement, Amanda Sizer Barrett said:

“The winner of this year’s PetQuip Lifetime Achievement Award has lived less than half of what we hope will be a long and happy working lifespan, but he has already packed a lifetime of achievement into his career to date!

The winner works in a company that can trace its roots back to 1968 and today it employs a workforce of around 950 and operates as far North as Newcastle and as far South as Weymouth.

The privately-owned, family business achieves sales of over £50m annually and is investing £9m currently in new stores.

The chief executive believes that in a world where online shopping is increasingly important, there is still a place for businesses on the high street and via retail outlets where service still matters.

His career may not have appeared initially to be auspicious. He attended a business course at his local College, but left after six months, then worked as sales adviser then manager in his parents’ shops for 10 years before buying the business at age 25.

In a recent interview, he said: “I look at where I am now and sometimes cannot believe it. I was always very ambitious. I have never had any strategy, except to make each shop work, and go on to open the next one.”

When asked whether, when he had made his first million, did he want to slow down?, his response was:

“That figure did not make me feel any different. I could not slow down because I love working and we only had 61 shops at the time.“

He says the secret of his success early on was just sheer determination and hard graft. A typical day would start at 6.30am loading the van with stock then working in the shop until 6 or 7pm. “I would carry on working at home until late on projects to move the business forward. I used to get paranoid that my competition would be working when I wasn’t and forge ahead. I still do. I’m proud that our company leads our industry on promoting animal welfare, and improving how pets are sold and cared for.

“I hated school and as far as I could remember I just wanted to work for myself. I used to make bird-feeders in my bedroom and sell them at school, pet shops and garden centres, delivering them on my bike. I think my lack of academic ability early on was made up for by the sheer number of hours I worked.”

He intends to carry on working “until I drop” because he gets bored when not busy and would miss the stimulus of work.

He believes In giving something back to the community. Many of the company’s staff started with the firm very young and almost all of the senior management team has come from the shop floor and some of them had difficult starts in their lives. They give 2 per cent of the firm’s profit to charity, in particular Canine Partners, which trains assistance dogs. In addition, they give more than £100,000 worth of food and products to local charities each year.

In addition our winner is planning to support young people from underprivileged backgrounds to start their own businesses.”