Pets at Home has won the prestigious Sunday Times Top 25 ‘Best Big Companies To Work For’ title for 2013.

The awards are based on an anonymous employee survey, and no other company taking part scored more positively for questions about managers and colleagues, how people felt about the company, the opportunities for personal growth and the way the business approached ‘giving something back’.

“People development is at the heart of our success," said Pets at Home people director Ryan Cheyne. "We have a step-by-step approach to training through our Pets at Home Academy, which builds knowledge and allows our colleagues to develop specialist skills in areas such as aquatics, reptiles, grooming and pet nutrition."

The company, which employs 5,930 people, topped the tables for fun with colleagues with a score of 85%, and came first for 'making a difference to the world' (78%), primarily for its work to rehome 57,000 animals last year in addition to raising £1.65million for rehoming and animal charities.