The Giant Pet Store, which claims to be Norfolk's largest family-owned independent pet supplies superstore, has gone into administration.

Mark Upton, from Ensors chartered accountants in Cambridge, was appointed administrator of the company on November 1.

The store in in South Hill Road, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, continues to trade as normal while a buyer is sought for the business. Four full-time and two part-time staff have been kept on until a final decision on the future of the company is taken.

According to a statement on The Giant Pet Store's website www.petshopping.co.uk, the affairs, business and property of the company are being managed by Mark Upton (administrator), who acts as agent of the company and without personal liability.

Mark told Pet Trade Xtra yesterday: "We are actively seeking a buyer for The Giant Pet Store. We have targeted a number of parties who we felt might be interested but as yet there has been no conclusion to our discussions.

"We are hopeful a buyer will be found and the store continues to be open during normal hours. We are montioring trading on a regular basis."

The Giant Pet Store, which operates in 12,000 sq feet premises, has been in existence for over 20 years, and has recently been under the ownership of Rodney Tuck. 

Anyone interested in buying The Giant Pet Store should contact Mark Upton on 01473 220022 or by email at mark.upton@ensors.co.uk

The Poundstretcher discount store chain is set to expand its pet business throughout 400 outlets in the UK.

Poundstretcher is owned by cash and carry giant Crown Crest, based in Leicester. Its latest store in the city, which opened in Raw Dykes Road near Leicester City's King Power Stadium, contained a new Pet Hut department.

Shehzad Tayub, Crown Crest operations director, said: "The concept of the Pet Hut is new to us. We have pet products in normal Poundstretchers anyway, we are just adding more lines. It's a complete new brand we launched three to four months ago."

Poundstretcher is part way through a multi-million pound campaign to open 30 stores during the final three months of the year. The company sees the pet category as a growing market and a big opportunity to grow profits.

Graham Page, Crown Crest non-executive director, added: "The new store in Leicester is 20,000 sq ft store and it means we can give 3,000-4,000 sq ft to the Pet Hut without impacting on the rest of the store."

Poundstretcher's turnover grew from £348 million to £367 million in the year to March 31 as the number of new stores grew, while turnover in Crown Crest's wholesaling division dropped from £97 million to £63 million last year.

Will Poundstretcher’s new pet plans impact on independent pet shops? We sought the views to two award-winning pet store owners.

Janine Tozer, of Not Just Pets in Bath, said: "We already have a Poundstretcher in Frome which sells pet stuff and so far it hasn't impacted too much on our business as far as we know.

“We are obviously disappointed that yet another player is entering the already-stretched pet retail market, especially at the low end. However, in our experience the quality of the products in such stores has not been good at all so I suppose you get what you pay for.

“It is up to the customer to make the decision about whether to save money in the very short term but possibly end up spending more overall when they have to replace items more frequently or whether to buy reasonably priced yet good quality items with pet specialists.”

Piers Smart, of Scampers in Cambridgeshire, said: “Our business is focused on the care and well-being of our clients’ pets. The health of dogs and cats comes first as far as we’re concerned. I would urge any independent pet retailer to take the same stance – stock those products that ensure good health for pets.

“It’s this kind of approach that will distinguish a pet retailer from the likes of Poundstretcher. The furthest thing from the mind of Poundstretcher’s finance director is pet health…he thinks solely about profit.”

If you’ve got a view email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk 

Notcutts Garden Centres are recruiting a Buyer for Pets and Wild Birds following the departure of James Jackson, who is leaving to join Gardman.

After two years of helping Notcutts to re-invigorate its wild bird and pet range James is leaving to join one of company's core suppliers, Gardman.

"This is an exciting opportunity for him as the Category Head for Pet and Wild Bird and will allow him to both explore new opportunities as well as work closer to home," said Notcutts Commercial Director Mark Wootton.

"For us it is good to have one of our former team within the supply base as they know what is needed to make a difference to both our customers and ourselves as a retailer.

"James takes up his position at the end of December and in the meantime we are actively seeking a replacement who can move us to the next stage.

"We are flexible about the location in order to find the right person. Anyone interested should e-mail woottonm@notcutts.co.uk."

Cheshire retailer Pets at Home is planning a £1.5bn float on the stock exchange, according to reports.

Sky News reports owner private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has appointed a group of investment banks to lead the listing on the stock exchange for the Handforth-based company, which could happen as soon as the first quarter of 2014.

The buyout group has appointed its in-house capital markets division alongside Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Nomura to oversee the listing, according to Sky.

Pets at Home was bought by KKR in 2010 for £995m.

In August it reported turnover nearing the £600m mark as well as EBITDA of more than £100m.

Pets At Home declined to comment on the reports.

Award-winning pet shop Not Just Pets has picked up another prestigious prize – this time for its in-store and window display of the new Trixie boutique range.

Not Just Pets in Bath created a new boutique for the Trixie Prince and Princess range within its store and lined the shelves with the range's colours in fabric.

The store has also dedicated one window to the range for the month leading up to Christmas. 

Not Just Pets has won £300 of free Trixie stock in competition run by pet accessory company.

It has been a great year for Not Just Pets, which was voted Retailer of the Year in the PetQuip Industry Awards in September.

British company SureFlap, maker of microchip-operated pet doors, is now proving to be a big hit in Germany, winning a ‘most innovative product of the year for cats’ in a nationwide poll...

Andy Bank, commercial director of Cambridge-based SureFlap, is delighted with the accolade. “We have spent considerable effort in ensuring that SureFlap products are designed to the highest standards of robustness and reliability. Aesthetics are also very important as the pet door is positioned in a door or glass window so it is very noticeable.

“To get this endorsement and vote of confidence from pet retailers in Germany has been very well received by our engineering team.”

The SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap was developed by Cambridge physicist Dr Nick Hill who had become irritated by a neighbour’s cat that came in through the cat flap to eat his cat’s food and frighten his pet. Dr Hill soon realised there was a need for a product that would stop this from happening and there wasn’t a good solution on the market. 

Dr Hill was determined to develop something that was well designed and reliable, as well as cheap and easy to manufacture. After three years of extensive research and development the finished product, the first SureFlap Cat Flap was launched in 2008. All of SureFlap’s pet doors are microchip-operated and will only unlock if a resident cat with its unique identifying chip comes within scanning range.

Such is the company’s attention to detail that it used raccoon product testers to ensure that the SureFlap Microchip Pet Door was impenetrable by wild animals. 

SureFlap was awarded the ‘most innovative product of the year for cats’ in a poll of readers from the publication PETonline.

The number of pedigree dog breeds recognised in the UK has now risen to 212 as the Kennel Club accepts the Portuguese Pointer, only the second new breed to be recognised in the past five years.

The Portuguese Pointer, which claims it heritage back to the Iberian hunting dog, is one of 137 breeds that have originated overseas since the Kennel Club opened its registers, and is one of twenty breeds on the Kennel Club Imported Breed Register, which all overseas dogs begin on until they are formally recognised on the Breed Register.

However, as exotic dog breeds have risen in popularity, many of the native breeds that were on the Kennel Club’s original list of recognised breeds in the 1800s, have fallen out of favour and have been put on the Kennel Club list of ‘vulnerable native breeds’, for breeds with less than 300 annual puppy registrations and that could disappear from our streets and parks if their numbers continue to decline.

New statistics released by the Kennel Club have shown that whilst vulnerable native breeds have increased by 50 percent so far this year, compared to the same period in 2012, certain breeds such as the Sealyham Terrier and Otterhound continue to decline. Recent years have seen the Old English Sheepdog and English Setter enter the ‘at watch’ list for breeds with between 300 and 450 registrations. Furthermore, with just 239 Pembroke Corgi registrations so far this year, it is feared the Queen’s favourite breed could also become vulnerable for the first time.

By contrast, exotic breeds such as the French Bulldog and Smooth Coated Chihuahua (originally from Mexico) are increasing in popularity with 4,843 and 2,931 registrations so far this year. Between 2003 and 2012 the breeds have increased by 1,232 percent and 700 percent respectively.

When the first ever Kennel Club stud book was produced in 1874, just 43 breeds were listed, including many native breeds that are now considered to be vulnerable, such as the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Clumber Spaniel, Otterhound and Skye Terrier.

Some native breeds continue to thrive, including the English Springer Spaniel, the Cocker Spaniel, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the Bulldog, the Golden Retriever, and the Border Terrier, all top ten breeds. But others in the top ten are from abroad.

Visitors to Discover Dogs, which is taking place at Earls Court on November 9^th and 10^th will be able to meet more than 200 breeds of dog under one roof, including the vulnerable breeds and the latest pedigree dog breeds in the UK.

The newly added Turkish Kangal Dog will also be coming to the event. This breed was added earlier this year and was the first new breed to join the Kennel Club register in almost five years. The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, officially recognised from 1 October 2008, was the last dog recognised by the Kennel Club prior to the two new additions for this year.          

Organiser of the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event, Vanessa McAlpine, said: “The UK is lucky to have so many wonderful dog breeds, and at our Discover Dogs event people have a unique opportunity to meet more than 200 of them, including those that might never cross your path in day to day life because they are so rare, those that are new to our shores and those that have been working with people in Britain for hundreds of years.”

Speaking about the wide range of dogs in this country, Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, explained: “The diverse mix of breeds in this country has grown over time. The process of being recognised as a pedigree dog by the Kennel Club takes several generations, but once we recognise a breed it means that we know that it has a reliable lineage that will give people a dog with predictable characteristics in terms of temperament and exercise and grooming needs.

“This helps dogs to find loving homes with the right owners. Whilst we now have many wonderful breeds in this country, unfortunately a number of our most historic British breeds are no longer in fashion and face disappearing, because they have been forgotten.

“The aim of our Discover Dogs event is to enable people to meet the huge array of dogs in this country and to make an informed decision about which would be best for them.”

The Portuguese Pointer has been classified in the Gundog Group, and is on the Imported Breed Register. To find out more about Discover Dogs, please visit www.discoverdogs.org.uk/

Arcadia Reptile has been working alongside some of the world's finest zoos to design and build the ultimate UV lighting system.

The result is the launch of the SuperzooT5, a lighting system suitable for zoos.

The system is to be produced by hand in the UK and is now available to zoos and large collections.

This fitting emits a serious amount of light – in fact it has a useable area of nearly 8ft wide and 10ft deep.

Each unit is assembled professionally to provide the highest quality and relibility and comes complete with the lamps. It is black powder coated to help disguise it from view, and made of solid aluminium.

John Courteney-Smith, Arcadia reptile products manager, said: "A huge amount of work and craftsmanship goes into making these units. I would also like to say a huge thank you to all of the zoos which took part in this project.

For more information visit www.arcadia-reptile.com

Johnson’s has added to its popular range of wild bird treats with the launch of Peanut &  Suet Feasts.

This new fifth variety complements the other four lines of Suet Treats, namely those with Berries, Insects, Mealworms and Seeds. 

Peanuts are firm favourites with many species of wild birds and this new variety has crushed peanuts in a beef tallow base, with added wheat and mixed grains and seeds, giving a high energy food source for winter warmth and fitness.

Johnson’s range of Suet Treats are excellent 'winter warmers' to help the diminishing number of our traditional wiild birds survive the harsh winter months, when nature provides very little food source to keep birds alive. All Suet Treats are also ideal for all year round feeding.

RRP £1.59 incl.VAT, trade £7.06  per pack of 8.

For more information visit www.johnsons-vet.com

Six crossbreed dogs are on their way to the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, after winning their class finals of the prestigious Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition at Earls Court in London last weekend...

Going through to the grand final at Crufts are:

• Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog – Bailey (pictured above), owned by Nigel McManus from Helensburgh who said: “Bailey has done fantastically well, he is a real star. I can't believe we are going to Crufts. The whole Scruffts competition is fantastic, there are lovely crossbreeds out there and it is great that they are getting the attention they deserve and it is wonderful that the Kennel Club is running the Scruffts competition.”
• Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch – Sylvy, owned by Danni Holder from Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham. Danni said: “I am shocked, it was brilliant. It was a hard competition; there were so many cute dogs out there. Everyone is biased when it comes to their own dog and I obviously think Sylvy is the prettiest, but to win and of course meet Anthony Head too is amazing.”
• Golden Oldie – Willow, owned by Sheli Brown from Crewe, Cheshire who said: “I am absolutely thrilled for Willow, she is my oldest dog and is wonderfully calm around people and children and a great dog around puppies and other young dogs. I am so excited that we are going to Crufts, I had a brilliant day.”
• Child’s Best Friend – Lola and fifteen year old Amee Graham from Rawdalstown, Co Antrim. Amee said: “I am pretty amazed and speechless, I wasn't there to win. When they said her name, I was overwhelmed. We have had Lola since January after she was found wandering the streets eating out of bins. As soon as we saw her we feel in love with her and her wee face. Whenever I am upset she comes along and when I am ill she looks after me. She jumps on my bed and wakes me up for school.”
• Best Crossbreed Rescue – Wylie (pictured below), owned by Sarah Singleton from Bunford, Yeovil who said: “It is unbelievable for Wylie to win today; it is very poignant as it is Remembrance Sunday. It is amazing he has been through so much and now he is through the other side, he is a breed rescue champion.”
• GCDS Crossbreed Dog – Barney, owed by Mike Murray from Kenley, Greater London. Mike said: “I am quite shocked, it is amazing, he is a great dog. Crufts will be an experience, it will be brilliant, it is really weird to be going. Crossbreeds are great.”

The judges are all dog lovers and included high profile journalists, actors, dog behaviourists and presenters.  They were: actor and star of Merlin, Anthony Head, dog behaviourist Sarah Fisher, Sunday Times journalist Marie Wolf, Nuts journalist, Simon Cunningham, Time Out London deputy editor, Nick Aveling, Your Dog editor, Sarah Wright and BBC London presenters and authors of “Barking Blondes”, Joanne Good and Anna Webb. All of the judges took into account the importance of dog training and responsible dog ownership, judging the entrants on good character, health and temperament as well as looks.



Above: Scruffts Child's Best Friend winner Amee Graham and Lola with judges Joanne Good and Anna Webb.

Scruffts caters exclusively for crossbreed dogs - dogs whose parents are of two different breeds, or a mixture of several breeds. The main ring at Discover Dogs showcased over 100 crossbreed dogs of all ages, shapes and sizes, in one of the following six Scruffts classes:

·         Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog (6 months - 7 years)

·         Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch (6 months - 7 years)

·         Child's Best Friend* (6 months - 12 years)

·         Golden Oldie Crossbreed (8 years or over)

·         Best Crossbreed Rescue

·         GCDS Crossbreed Class (for entrants that have a GCDS certificate at any level) 

*Handled by a young person between 6 and 16 years of age inclusively

A total of 18 Scruffts heats took place at events throughout 2013 and saw nearly 1,200 dogs take part in the competition, raising over £6,000 for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and each event’s chosen charity. None of the dogs left empty handed, as all competitors received James Wellbeloved treats and a copy of Your Dog magazine, the Scruffts media partner. 

Scruffts is run in support of the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which has donated over £7m worth of grants to benefit the canine world since its inception in 1987. Its mission is to promote the improvement of dogs through charitable donations and helping to fund research into canine health problems.

To find out more about Scruffts please visit www.scruffts.org.uk, For more information on Discover Dogs, please visit www.discoverdogs.org.uk.

Oscar & Hooch has launched a range of stylish and contemporary dog accessories. 

The British-made range includes dog collars and leads designed with comfort, style and durability in mind. The pet bed deodoriser replaces doggy smells with a clean cotton aroma. 

The Somerset -based company was started by Paul and Elaine Steckler, whose chocolate Labradors Oscar and Hooch inspired its name and are chief product testers. 

Paul says: “Despite the number of products on the market, we struggled to find anything for our dogs that were smart and distinctive but also built to last. We needed something that would survive a daily dip in a pond and regular mud baths in the country and still look good on a trip into town but such products were surprisingly hard to find, so we set out to design our own.” 

Oscar & Hooch uses soft but very strong suedette for its dog collars and leads, which are comfortable for the dog and in the owner’s hands. The material is fully washable as well as antibacterial/anti-dust mite for the life of the fabric. 

Choice of materials was just as meticulous in the crystal range of collars and leads which uses Swarovski crystals – as also worn by Madonna, Beyoncé and Rihanna – chosen not just for their A-list celebrity appeal but their lustre. 

The deodoriser utilises ‘active release technology’ – this ensures fragrance release is stimulated by pet movement generating a subtle smell that lasts… 

Available for dogs of all sizes, from Chihuahua to Great Dane, Oscar & Hooch collars and leads come tastefully gift-wrapped for Christmas. 

For more information visit www.oscarandhooch.com, call 01934 713667 or email enquiries@oscarandhooch.com 

Eukanuba has pledged to support Kennel Club Breed Rescue organisations as the supplier of premium nutrition and rehoming packs. The Eukanuba Breed Rescue Support Programme, in partnership with the Kennel Club, was launched at Discover Dogs.

The new Eukanuba initiative aims to help charities reduce their dog food bill and assist owners with their new rescue dog. The pet nutrition brand and the Kennel Club are passionate about improving the lives of all dogs.

Rosemary Smart, Kennel Club Chief Executive said: “Both Eukanuba and the Kennel Club aim to provide all dogs with the best quality of life. The Kennel Club has been working with breed rescues around the country for a number of years now, supporting their good work as they help dogs in need and provide owners with expert advice.

“We are delighted that Eukanuba has recognised the wonderful work of the Kennel Club Breed Rescue organisations and has chosen to assist them in their work by supplying much needed food and rehoming packs.”

Eukanuba invites breed rescue organisations to join their Breed Rescue support programme. Eukanuba will supply its breeder bags of premium nutrition to breed rescues.  In addition, members will be able to order rehoming packs, to hand over to new dog owners, allowing the rescued dogs to continue on Eukanuba high quality nutrition in their new home. 

These packs will contain a bag of Eukanuba dog food, nutritional information, a handy measuring cup and a coupon for £5 off the new dog owner’s next purchase of Eukanuba.  In addition, for every five new dog owners who sign up to the Eukanuba Saver Club, run by online retailer GJW Titmuss, the breed rescue will receive a free large bag of food.

Mike Bloxsome from the Eukanuba Breed Team said: “At Eukanuba, we are proud to support the wonderful breed rescue organisations that are affiliated with the Kennel Club. We wanted to help the hundreds of organisations as well as the individuals who work around the clock to help all different breeds of dog in the UK.

“We are looking forward to rolling the initiative out and hope it will make a big difference to the lives of dogs needing rehoming in the UK.”

Picture Caption: Mike Bloxsome and Julie Nottage from Eukanuba Breed Rescue Team along with Rosemary Smart, Kennel Club Chief Executive and breed rescues; Bulldog Rescue & Rehoming Trust, British Briard Club Rescue and Valgrays Border Collie Rescue

PATS 2013 Harrogate from sirastudio on Vimeo.