Working in a pet shop is becoming a highly sought-after job with hundreds of people applying for too few vacancies. In the past month Pets at Home have received more than 750 applications for just 12 positions at two new stores.

The pet retail chain is set to open its 355th store on September 20 in Bletchley, and more than 360 applications were received for seven jobs.

And Pet Trade Xtra reported two weeks ago that nearly 400 people applied for just five jobs at a new Pets at Home store due to open in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts.

Employment experts believe that more people see the prospect of working in the pet industry appealing and are therefore applying for jobs in pet stores. But there is also the general trend that jobs in any sector nowadays attract huge numbers of applicants.

Pets and Home is investing £487,000 in the 7,810 sq-ft store at Beacon Retail Park, Bletchley and creating seven jobs.

Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart MP welcomed the “prestigious household name to Bletchley."

Store manager Paul Wright, 34, lives in Wolverton, and has been with Pets at Home for 10 years.

He said: “It’s been a busy few months and now my team and I can’t wait to open the doors and welcome our new customers and their pets to the store.”