Pets at Home has reported a ‘record-breaking’ performance over Christmas, helped by strong demand for its dog grooming service.

In a trading update for 12 weeks to January 2, the Cheshire-headquartered retailer reported the group’s revenue had grown 7.9% to £255.9m.

Its retail revenue rose 7% while its vet group revenue was up 14.4% and omnichannel revenue was up 23.4%.

The period saw the number of dogs groomed in a single day hit 6,023 and included its biggest online and offline trading days.

Chief executive Peter Pritchard said: “Our sales performance in the quarter proves once again that by offering convenient and affordable pet care to customers, we can further strengthen our market leading position.

“Against a backdrop of unprecedented consumer volatility, our continued momentum leaves us very much on track with our plans for the year.”

The retailer said it was “on track” with its plans for the 2020 financial year, and financial guidance is unchanged.

Pets at Home said the UK pet care market remains resilient and is attracting and retaining pet lovers with its VIP membership.

The group has more than 5.3m VIP members and has more than 850,000 subscription customers across the group.

The number of VIPs who purchased products and services has grown 24% year-on-year.