Pedigree Wholesale hosted its annual supplier conference at Leicester Marriot Hotel with more than 150 guests from multiple suppliers attending for an afternoon of networking, lunch and presentations. 

The company took guests through key updates and plans of its 'Raising the Bar' strategy, which is focused on productivity, quality and impact in 2023.

Steve Driver, Managing Director of Pet Trade Innovations, said: "The supplier conference is a great opportunity to see Pedigree's exciting plans for the future and ensure, as a supplier, we are working in line with their goals. It also gives us a chance to ensure we are making the most of the marketing opportunities and reviewing the best places to invest for growth.”

Some of Pedigree Wholesale's key partners were in attendance, with presentations from Paul Lewis (Managing Director of Just for Pets), Gordon Thomas (Director of Impact Exhibitions who host PATS), and guest speakers and representatives from charity partner Medical Detection Dogs.

George Bramble, Co-Founder of Beco Pet, said: "The Pedigree Wholesale conference was an excellent event. It was fantastic to get together and celebrate pet speciality retailers and suppliers, but also to gain valuable insights on industry performance and how Pedigree Wholesale and their partners can work better together to bring the best pet products to market. It's clear that Pedigree Wholesale care deeply about both their customers and brands. Sign me up for next year!"

The conference was followed by an evening of food and entertainment with a charity dinner to support Medical Detection Dogs, where the Pedigree Wholesale teams and suppliers were joined by customers who all gave generously to the charity raffle, raising over £3,000. Suppliers were also involved in donating raffle prizes with a weekend away donated by Twiggy Tags, pet-friendly weekend away donated by Woof & Brew, a dinner voucher donated by James Marketing, and many more generous donations from multiple suppliers. 

David Bennison, Director of Speciality and Export Sales, said "As ever, the Pedigree Wholesale Conference provided a great opportunity to connect with industry colleagues, but most importantly, it gave a real insight into Pedigree's plans for the future. The information shared by Pedigree really helps IPN to align with Pedigree's strategies ensuring a continued strong, mutually beneficial relationship. It was also fascinating to learn more about Medical Detection Dogs."

Pedigree Wholesale also hosted its annual supplier awards with winners for Large and Small Supplier of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, New Product of the Year and Account Manager of the Year.

Gerard O’Mahony, Managing Director of Pedigree Wholesale, said: “It was great to see so many of our supplier partners attend. The opportunity to share our performance, strategy and specific plans ensures we’re aligned and focusing together on delivering for our customers in the specialist pet community. Congratulations again to the award winners in the evening, and of course, thanks to everyone who made a donation to our charity partner, Medical Detection Dogs, we were delighted with the result.”