Pets at Home has opened a new, purpose-built distribution centre in Staffordshire. The state-of-the-art centre, which will employ more than 800 people, will support the company’s omnichannel capabilities and underpin the next decade of growth.

The development, on a 70-acre site at Stafford North Business Park was overseen by leading commercial property developer Stoford with the building works carried out by McLaren Construction.

Pets at Home’s Chief Executive Officer Lyssa McGowan marked the occasion at a special ribbon-cutting presentation also attended by her predecessor Peter Pritchard, who commissioned the development, and company founder Anthony Preston. Daniel Gallagher, Joint Managing Director of Stoford, and Councillor Jeremy Pert, from Stafford Borough Council were also amongst the attendees.

Lyssa McGowan, who is also celebrating her first anniversary as Pets at Home’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I’m incredibly proud to mark this significant moment for our business with some truly remarkable colleagues and former leaders who have each contributed so much to the success of our business. The team have worked incredibly hard to ensure our new fulfilment centre has the capacity and capability to support future growth for years to come as we continue maximising our omnichannel capabilities."

Pets at Home has signed a 20-year lease on the facility, which is close to Junction 14 of the M6. The building will provide 670,000 sq. ft of floor space, with adjacent land for an additional 100,000 sq. ft expansion, if required.

Facilities will include two double-storey hub offices of 5,600 sq. ft and a recycling store, tote store and a gatehouse detached from the main building. A nature walk with bat and bird boxes and dog walking areas will be made available for the public and colleagues to use. The development also includes numerous environmentally friendly features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging points.

Daniel Gallagher, Stoford Joint Managing Director, said: “We have worked closely with Pets at Home and Tesco Pension Fund to develop this exciting new scheme that will sustain local jobs in Staffordshire. We have delivered a modern national storage and distribution centre, with a first-class design that has sustainability at its core.”

Councillor Jeremy Pert, Deputy Leader of Stafford Borough Council, said:“I am really proud of having such a market leading and fast growing business as Pets at Home choose to set up their head office and national fulfilment operation in Stafford Borough, laying down their roots for the future and investing in the local area, and bringing a range of quality of roles. It shows that Stafford Borough is uniquely placed in the country to be a great place to live, work and thrive. Where Pets at Home leads, others will follow.”