The festive season brings a potential peak sales period for many retailers. Offering a unique, thoughtful and educational gift can provide many shoppers with the inspiration they need over this time and subsequently maximise your sales over this peak period.

This week Tetra brings you five top tips for maximising sales...

1. Sell a concept, not a product – gift a goldfish

Customers will be on the lookout for original present ideas for their loved ones around Christmas, so retailers can use this opportunity to promote the concept of a goldfish as a Christmas present. Great for children and adults alike, the ‘gift of a goldfish’ is sure to be a showstopper of a present and is guaranteed to get a better reaction that the usual socks and smellies!

2. Target to parents – a fish can make a great first pet and a great gift for Christmas

A goldfish is a great first pet for children; low budget and low maintenance, it is the ideal experience to teach them the importance of caring for an animal. Tetra’s Peppa Pig tank is the perfect starter kit for children with everything to discover the fun of fishkeeping. As well as encouraging repeat purchases, retailers can also welcome new fish keepers into the hobby and encourage future sales. If a consumer’s first experience within your store is a positive one, then they are more likely to remain loyal to your store.

3. Upsell a starter kit

Everyone knows the childhood disappointment of being given a new toy at Christmas which hasn’t come with batteries. To avoid the same kind of disappointment this year, encourage customers to buy a bundle of products as well as the tank so that the fun can begin as soon as the gift is opened.

Tetra’s Peppa Pig Aquarium and Tetra AquaArt Explorer Line Aquarium both come with an additional starter kit including food (TetraMin or Tetra Goldfish) and water treatments (Tetra AquaSafe, Tetra Easybalance) which will allow customers to sample the products and will encourage repeat purchase. Alternatively, retailers can create their own Christmas bundles for customers looking to gift a goldfish, with price promotions to attract customers searching for original presents.


4. Highlight tanks in store

Highlighting the tanks (and associated products such as food and water treatments) within your store over the festive period can fill the consumer with inspiration and lead them to make a purchase. A wet display tank (i.e. fully set up and maintained) can also provide retailers with a creative method to show off their most impressive merchandise and fish: A good wet display will leave non-fishkeepers feeling dazzled, encouraging them to consider the gift of a goldfish this Christmas.

      

5. Educate your staff on this gifting opportunity

Staff should be ready to highlight the additional products required for on-going maintenance of a tank bought for Christmas. Your staff are the first point of contact for shoppers and they will have the most engagement with customers in store so it is vital they are kept up to date on your Christmas selling strategy.

For more information about any products in the Tetra range, please visit www.tetra.net or email info@tetra-fish.co.uk

Christmas gifts for pets has become big business as pet stores and garden centres showcase a vast array of products in striking festive displays. 

Owners wishing to splash the cash on their animals are spoiled for choice this year with products ranging from doggy jumpers to raw hide Christmas tree decorations.

We've been out and about judging for The Greatest Christmas Awards organised by Garden Trade News and have spotted many festive displays aimed at the pet owner.

Here are some pictures of the displays at Codsall & Wergs Garden Centre in Wolverhampton and Chessignton Garden Centre in Surrey, and you'll see how the pet member of the family has become a prime target.

Pet Trade Xtra has already reported that Santa Paws is returning to the Manchester Betty & Butch boutique store on the 6th and 13th of December when dogs will yet again have the chance to visit Santa, have a photo taken and receive a present. With all proceeds going to charity, the event was the first of its kind when it began in 2011.

If you have a special pet event at your store this Christmas let us know by emailing neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk

Premium pet brand Billy+Margot is rounding off 2014 by unveiling its exciting business expansion plans for the year ahead, which includes new head offices and an exclusive business deal with Vital Pet Products.

Set to become the brand’s wholesale distribution channel from January 2015, Vital Pet Products has shown great support for Billy+Margot’s expansion plans, which focuses on greater stock listings in independent pet retailers – while also respecting exclusivity zones the brand already has in place with other retailers.

In preparation for its renewed focus in the year ahead, Billy+Margot has also moved offices from its original Hambledon base to new bigger premises in Waterlooville, Hampshire, to provide its growing team with greater work space as well as storage for its stock supplies.

Both of the expansion announcements follow a third consecutive year of growth for the brand in the UK, and follow the company announcing earlier in the year its business had also spanned to international waters, with its first international order providing the brand with distribution in Holland and listings within two of the country’s top retailers.

Billy+Margot founder Marie Sawle (pictured) said: “Vital Pet Products is a great supporter of the independent pet trade and has shown a great understanding of my business model. Respecting deals we already have in place, has made it easy for us to focus our 2015 growth without having to make compromises.

“Our new offices have been a big step too, and we are very excited to now have greater opportunity to grow our team while and making our stock and distribution a more rigorous process.” 

Pets at Home, which is set to open two new stores in Cirencester and Rochdale in the next few weeks, is planning further expansion in 2015 with an addtional 25 shops, 60 veterinary practices and 50 groom room salons.

The company currently operates from 386 UK stores as well as almost 300 small animal veterinary surgeries and nearly 150 groom rooms. It has plans to grow to over 500 UK stores, more than 700 veterinary practices and in excess of 300 groom rooms in the medium term.

The latest Pets at Home store to open will be in Cirencester, where it is investing more than £350,000 in premises opening on Friday, November 21.

The store has created 23 jobs, including grooming and vet positions, and received more than 600 applications.

The Vets4Pets surgery will have a full operating theatre, digital X-ray facilities, in-house laboratory and a hospital ward providing a full range of treatments from health checks to emergency operations.

Area manager Peter Reis said: "I’m pleased we’ve found a team of talented individuals in Cirencester. They’re all extremely passionate about pets and can’t wait to get started."

Store manager James Seale, who has been with Pets at Home for eight years, said it has been a busy few months getting the store ready.

"Now my team and I can’t wait to open the doors and welcome our new customers and their pets to the store," he said.

Pets at Home Cirencester will cater for local dogs, cats, small animals, chickens, reptiles, birds and fish as well as wildlife.

Another Pets at Home store will open in Rochdale during the first week in December with the creation of 13 jobs.

More than £350,000 has been invested in the project at  at Kingsway Retail Park which will create 13 jobs.

The Handforth-based company, which listed on the stock market in March, reported that like-for-like sales for the 28 weeks to October 9 were up 4.2%. Total revenue surged 10.2% to £381.5m.

It was founded in 1991 and has more than 380 sites across the UK employing more than 6,000 people.

Pooch and Mutt’s Calm & Relaxed treats featured on the Alan Titchmarsh Show as a great way to help keep your dog calm during fireworks season.

The episode featured Joe Inglis explaining a few great tips on how to keep your dog calm and relaxed, which included using Pooch and Mutt’s best selling, natural treat!

Calm & Relaxed treats are a wonderfully hypoallergenic, ethical and wheat gluten free treat. They are just under 3.5 calories per treat and have a taste dogs love.

They are hand baked to perfection, as there are approximately 150 mini bone shaped treats in each tube which retails for £2.99.

Calm & Relaxed treats include lamb, chamomile and l-tryptophan. Chamomile was traditionally used in ancient Greece, Egypt and beyond to aid relaxation. L-tryptophan is essential to form serotonin, the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Give your dog a few Calm & Relaxed treats before a stressful situation, like a visit to the vet, car journey, fireworks, competitions, separation or just as a nice bedtime treat.

All Pooch and Mutt products are PETA accredited, as well as made in the UK with only the finest, British ingredients. After winning the European Design Award 2014 for the outstanding display and packaging of Pooch and Mutt’s bestselling range of treats, it’s no wonder why they were featured on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

The full range of treats and the rest of Pooch and Mutt products are available at www.poochandmutt.com, select Waitrose, Ocado, Pets at Home and through independent pet shops and vet clinics throughout the UK. 

Thieves stole more than half-a-ton of specialist dog food during a night-time raid on a Gloucestershire pet shop.

Michelle Hawkins, who opened Toughmutts Country Supplies in Staunton, near Newent, only 10 months ago, suspects the burglary on Sunday November 2 was planned well in advanced.

She noticed a total of 46 sacks of feed, as well as dog leads and harnesses, worth in excess of £3,000, were missing when she turned up to open the shop on Monday morning.

“This is a new business venture for us,” Michelle said. “We are supposed to be in a community-minded village. I have been working here seven days per week and I am not drawing a wage yet.

“They must have had a big 4x4 as there was a hell of a lot of big bags of feed.”

She suspects the culprits crossed farmland before reversing through a hedge at the rear of the store in order to avoid being spotted by CCTV at Staunton Garden Centre, where the business is based.

A total of 46, 15kg sacks – weighing a total of 690kg– of Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved, Science Plan and Skinners Field and Trial was stolen in the raid.

Michelle says Royal Canin can only be sold by reputable suppliers and wants dog owners to be aware they may be offered stolen dog food at a cut price.

She has also issued a warning via her business’s page on social networking website Facebook.

“All of our money has gone into this business and around £3,000-worth of stock has been taken,” Michelle added.

“This is upsetting because it is a family business. My partner and I have been working seven days per week to build this up and were looking forward to our first Christmas here,” she said.

Police are investigating the burglary and anybody with information is urged to get in touch.

Harm Reduction Advisor David McFarlane: “We know that burglars will target stores that are close to or back on to fields so we would urge business owners to be aware and strengthen their security wherever they can.

“In this case the harm reduction team would be happy to visit the victims and give advice on any extra measures they can take.”

Call police on 101 quoting incident 73 of November 3.

British petcare suppliers will have the opportunity to acquire a wealth of valuable export information and also to present their products to important overseas buyers at an Open Day and Meet-the-Buyer event being organised by the PetQuip and Gardenex associations on Wednesday, December 3.

The event, to be held at the Federation’s head office in Brasted, Kent is open to federation members and potential exporters. 

The key elements of the day include the opportunity to:

• book one-to-one ‘business creating’ meetings with key buyers from the US and Europe.

• take part in round-table workshop discussions with a Danish pet product distributor and a US distributor of garden products. This is an ideal opportunity to discover what a successful distributor seeks from its suppliers, to understand the markets they cover and to find out which product ranges they are seeking to source. 

• receive details of the Federation’s range of export events planned for 2015.

• explore the Federation’s research library which includes market reports, export information, tradeshow and company catalogues.

• view the latest editions of the US pet and garden market reports.

• network with like-minded exporters, trade contacts and the PetQuip and Gardenex team.

The meet-the-buyer element of the day will involve a Danish pet product distributor, a Belgian importer/distributor of pet products, a Romanian wholesaler/pet retail chain and a US distributor of garden products.  Additional buyers have been invited by the Federation, and the British participating firms will be notified when details are known. 

Commenting on the success of previous meet-the buyer events, which have been organised by PetQuip and Gardenex for many years, the federation’s director general, Amanda Sizer Barrett said: “These popular meetings provide an opportunity for regular exporters and new-to-export firms to present their ranges to individual buyers. 

"The pre-arranged meetings provide a cost-effective way for British suppliers to meet with buyers that have already confirmed their interest in the specific products being offered by the supplier. This eliminates wasted time and enables a productive discussion to take place. The resulting successes in terms of new business are manifold.”

The deadline for registering interest in the event is Wednesday 19 November. 

Contact  theresa@petquip.com or emma@gardenex.com, tel:  +44 (0) 44 1959 565995   or   fax:  +44 (0) 1959 565885 

Winning a new product award at PATS Harrogate in September has given Supa Ltd a massive promotional boost for its contemporary wild bird feeders.

The company won the award for its Gloucester Seed Feeder and has been using the accolade to create retailer interest in the whole range.

Chris Goodlad, of Supa Ltd, said: "The response from PATS following the winning of the new bird product award has been magnificent as the award has not only highlighted the Gloucester Feeders it has showcased the rest of our new range.

 "The award has certainly focused attention on Supa and has led to some new listings with current customers and also the opening of some new account who have wanted to stock this new and dynamic range."

Supa has been showcasing its products at Bestpets trade open days in Newcastle and Nottingham.

The Nottingham show was held on Sunday and proved to be a highly successful trade open day with customers travelling from near and far to take the opportunity to look round the depot and take advantage of some strong promotional deals. 

Nick Radford, from Pet Station in Rotherham, is pictured above on the Supa stand looking at the award winning GloucesterSeed Feeder.

Nick said: “The new range of Supa Contemporary Wild Bird Feeders are just what the pet trade needs as they not only look good but with such strong retail price points they will fly off the shelves." 

For more information visit www.supa-aquatics.co.uk

UK pet product distributor BSB Products has introduced Crumps' Naturals wholesome sweet potato chews and flavoured sweet potato strips into the UK market.

CRUMPS is a family owned business based in Ontario, Canada. As dog lovers themselves, they have developed a range of delicious wholesome dog treats that offer safe and healthy choices.

Starting with ingredients sourced only in Canada and the United States, CRUMPS are committed to providing a variety of natural treats made from the fewest and highest quality ingredients possible.

Crumps' Naturals contain no additives, no preservatives and no artificial colours. The sweet potato chews only contain natural sweet potato. 

The sweet potatoes come straight from the farmer’s field and are sliced and slow baked. The patented process helps preserve the low glycaemic index and results in a low fat chewy treat. They are especially a great choice for dogs with allergies or sensitivities.  Available in a conveniently sized 160g bag

Crumps' newest product, Crumps' Sweet Potato Strips are a low fat treat rich in naturally occurring beta-carotene and are available in three flavours:  Sweet Potato & Oatmeal, Sweet Potato & Cranberry and Sweet Potato & Cinnamon.  A chewy strip that can be torn into small pieces or served whole.  Available in 160g bags.

For more information and a list of stockists, call BSB Products on 01737 767679.

The festive apparel in Rosewood Pet  Products' Christmas range has been so successful the company has now added some fashionable pet clothing to its products list.

This range of jumpers includes four different styles so there’s something to suit all tastes and with each design available in either two or four sizes retailers can cater for most breeds of dog.

For those consumers who love their chunky cable knit cardigans and jumpers the selection includes two cable knit jumpers, one in pink and one in grey, each with an adorable fur collar.

There’s also a striped grey and orange jumper as well as a thick grey sweater with diamond design which we think will prove extremely popular!

All designs are supplied with a plastic hangtag and cute heart shaped swing tag which is in line with the new Rosewood branded packaging.    

These products are exclusively available in the UK from Rosewood Pet Products. Retailers can call 01952 883408 for more details or go online at www.rosewoodpet.com

Ancol is celebrating after sales are up a record 7% compared to this time last year.

The team attributes this growth to a number of reasons. One reason is the success of their first ever retractable lead, Viva, which they have sold over 100,000.

Another reason is their £50,000 investment in new plant and machinery earlier this year which has enabled them to double their production of leather collars and leads. Plus 2015 has seen a more positive market with customers having more confidence in purchasing pet products.

“We are delighted with our sales figures,” says Ancol’s Sales Director, Sarah Lane. “2014 has already been a great year for Ancol and the independent pet stores we support. We are looking forward to 2015 when we will continue to work with pet stores to offer a wide range of pet products for our customers.”

Look out for Ancol in 2015 when they will be focusing on improving the packaging of their products in order to provide more clarity to customers on technical aspects such as sizing, weight and pull strengths. They will also be expanding their Heritage leather collar range and increasing their offering of British made leather collars.

For more information on Ancol Pet Products, visit www.ancol.co.uk, call 01922 402428 or contact your local sales representative.

Professional thieves smashed their way into a Rugby reptile shop and stole 70 snakes.

The gang got into the property in Hillmorton Road before smashing vivariums and taking 40 royal pythons and 30 boa-constrictors.

They damaged cameras and unplugged the CCTV recording system before stealing the snakes, believed to be worth thousands of pounds.

The gang ignored less valuable reptiles to steal the prized hatchlings and a couple of snakes kept for breeding purposes.

Steve Mussard, who works in Rugby Reptiles, said the theft was a real blow, but praised customers and fellow pet shops who have helped out by providing some surplus snakes.

He said: “The police have said this is a professional hit.

“They have been stolen to order - they knew what they were getting was valuable.

“They have left the corn snakes and the really big snakes and lizards that couldn’t be carried anyway.

“They’ve stolen hatchlings apart from a few breeding royal pythons and they’re only three feet long anyway.”

The snakes are not venomous or deadly and shop staff are urging anyone who sees any of the hatchlings to contact them so they can be properly looked after.

“The damage to the vivariums was mainly glass being smashed,” Steve said.

“It’s replaceable but it’s costly.

“The response has been fantastic though both from our customers and from other shops.”

Incredibly the shop was open as normal today but with a reduced stock.

Because so many of the snakes were bred by the owner of Rugby Reptiles insurers are unlikely to cover the full cost of the break-in though.

It could take a year to breed replacement stock.

Police have launched an investigation into the break in and scenes of crime officers have inspected the shop.

Officers are appealing for anyone with information about the break in to get in touch.

Similarly if you are offered a snake for sale contact officers.

Call 101 or 0800 555111 if you don’t wish to speak directly to a police officer.

Leading garden bird food brand Peckish is thanking over 100 garden centres for their involvement in the hugely successful 'Go Wild With Peckish' campaign.

Young people across the UK and Ireland hatched into bird-feeding enthusiasts during the week-long campaign, held over October half term.  Activities included fun bird mask and fat ball making sessions and a bird spotting activity with cut out bird characters. Over 10,000 goodie bags were provided by Peckish for garden centres to issue to participants.

Plenty of great feedback about 'Go Wild With Peckish' has been flying into Peckish HQ this week, including:

Simpson’s Garden Centre in Inverness, said: “We loved having the Peckish activities and goody bags for kids visiting our garden centre this October break. It was a brilliant addition to our normal school activities programme and all the children taking part loved it!

Paul Benson, Manager at Burford House Garden Store in Worcestershire, said:  “We were delighted to stage the Westland 'Go Wild With Peckish' trail over half term. A great PR event for us and an increase in sales of Westland bird care products to boot!”

A staggering number of entries have been received so far to the drawing competition which was run through garden centres and online at the 'Go Wild With Peckish' website. Children brought the wild birds in their garden to life through creative drawings and will have the opportunity to win prizes such as a family day out and Peckish hampers.

Rachael Dickinson, Senior Brand Manager for Peckish said: “We initiated the 'Go Wild With Peckish' campaign to encourage ‘generation digital’ to switch off their devices and experience the enjoyment of bird-feeding. We were astounded by the support that we got from garden centres up and down the UK and would like to thank them for getting behind the campaign.

“Research carried out by Peckish have time and again suggested that once young people have enjoyed feeding the birds with a loved one, they are more likely to continue this activity throughout their lifetimes. It’s important to the industry that we encourage children to take an interest in feeding the birds. As one of the leading bird food brands in the UK, we feel it’s our responsibility to be driving this forward.

“We will be looking to stage the 'Go Wild With Peckish' campaign again next year and will be seeking additional initiatives throughout the next 12 months to increase the number of people feeding the birds.”

The results of a trade competition in which one lucky garden centre will win Merlin annual passes for its staff will be announced shortly.

Photograph shows (from L-R) – Jasmine (aged 8) and Jaiden (aged 7) with their 'Go Wild With Peckish'goodies after completing the activities at Burford House Garden Store in Worcestershire.

Lu Corfield, who plays twin sisters Freya and Lois Wilson on BBC1’s Doctors, visited London's Mayhew Animal Home to highlight the number of rescue dogs who need a new home.

She cuddled a range of cute animals including Askey, a three-year-old Terrier cross who was abandoned on a street and 17-month-old Siberian Husky Amaruq, who ended up in the Mayhew after his owner felt she could no longer look after him due to work commitments.

Ms Corfield, the owner of a six-year-old Poodle cross called Norma, said: “There are a frightening amount of dogs needing to be rehomed across the UK and, whilst our rescue centres and shelters are doing a wonderful job, we still need further funding and support. I fell in love with each and every one of the dogs I met, in fact I was very tempted to take all three home!

“They will make the perfect companion to the right owner, they just need to be given a chance.”

For more information about the Mayhew visit themayhew.org/.

A new product called Tailio turns a cat's bathroom facilities into a one-stop health-monitoring system that alerts owners to changes in their pet's weight or behaviour.

The humble litter box hasn't seen much in the way of high-tech innovations since the first self-cleaning box was introduced many years ago. While you may look at the litter box and see a chore in waiting, American company Pet Wireless looked at the same thing and thought: "Aha! Let's turn that into an innovative cat-health gadget!"

The result is the Tailio that wants to transform a cat's bathroom into an intelligent health-monitoring system.

The Tailio platform sits underneath any standard litter box. From there, it gathers data on when a cat goes to the loo, how much the cat weighs and the weight of the waste. It forwards the information through an analytics system and to a mobile app that warns the owner if a cat may need medical attention.

This sort of alert could be triggered by an unusual increase in bathroom visits, for example. Forgetful pet owners can also use the app for litter-box cleaning reminders, which your cat will appreciate.

Tailio can track multiple cats, telling them apart by their weight and differing litter box behavior patterns. This should be fairly effective unless you have cats who weigh the same and behave like twins. The weight-monitoring feature can be useful for flabby felines, letting you track your cat's weight loss (or lack thereof) when on a veterinarian-recommended diet. Similarly, it could help catch sudden weight loss sooner, an important sign of ill health.

The story behind the invention of Tailio is a sad one. Founder Alex Treiner lost a beloved cat to cancer after missing the signs of the cat's medical issues, such as extreme weight loss.

Cats are notoriously skilled at hiding illnesses, so it can be challenging for pet owners to notice problems before they become severe.

Treiner hopes Tailio will help solve that issue and save other cat people from potential heartbreak.

For more information visit http://tailio.com/