Fast-growing pet treat supplier Sniffers Pet Care has secured £850k in follow-on funding from Traditum Private Equity, following an initial investment of £1.75m by the West Yorkshire based private equity house in September 2022.

Sniffers, which is based near Halifax, supplies natural pet treats for customers including Pets at Home and Jollyes under its challenger brand NAW, which was successfully launched in 2023.

The funding will enable Sniffers to accelerate production at its site in Elland and deliver an incremental uplift of £3.3m in annual revenue.

The business has experienced rapid growth in the past 24 months, with a 40% year-on-year increase in turnover and an 85% growth in headcount in the last 12 months, taking full-time employee numbers to 37.

The first round of funding enabled Sniffers to expand operationally and scale manufacturing and distribution capabilities. It also invested heavily in building its own IP through the re-brand of its natural dog treat brands, Buffalo and Walter Smith, to NAW, which stands for No Animal Wasted.

The range is made from 100% air-dried animal parts which would usually go to waste and is now stocked in large chains such Ocado, as well as a range of independent and specialist retailers. The brand will be showcased at Crufts next month in front of 250,000 entrants.

The latest round of funding has been supported strategically by Sniffers’ senior leadership team, which includes chief financial officer Peter Harrison and non-executive directors Tom Page, and George Page. The brothers were appointed in 2023 to provide both marketing and operational expertise, drawing on their extensive industry experience acquired at family firm, Inspired Pet Nutrition.

Speaking about the investment, Simon Brown, CEO of Sniffers Pet Care, said: “The follow-on funding from Traditum is a real endorsement of our plan and the launch of our brand NAW last year.

“It will enable us to accelerate our growth in 2024 and make a real impact in the pet market with some exciting launches ahead.”

Iain Marlow, head of investments for Traditum commented: “Following on from our investment into Sniffers in 2022 the business has successfully launched the NAW brand, expanded the senior management team and entered into new distribution channels, which have delivered transformational growth for the business.

“At Traditum we seek to invest in and support exceptional management teams and we could not be prouder to support Simon Brown and his whole team at Sniffers. We are delighted to be able to provide further funding to the business to support continued growth in what are exciting times for the business”.

Traditum was supported with legal advice from Paul Johnson and Nina Latham of law firm Mills and Reeve. Jonathan Simms, Hitesh Tailor and Jonathan Schneider from Clarion Solicitors supported Sniffers Pet Care.

Plans for the first ever three-day PATS are well underway as the Pet & Aquatics Trade Show gets set to stage its first-ever THREE-DAY event at Telford International Centre from Sunday, 29th September to Tuesday, 1st October 2024.

More than 200 companies have already booked their stand space for the showpiece with still seven months to go, and the final number of exhibitors is set to be well over 300, making it the biggest PATS ever staged.

With PATS 2024 taking over all of the exhibition space at Telford International Centre, this year’s event will also feature the Aquatics Zone, a dedicated area for aquatics and watergardening exhibitors.

The new three-day show will also retain all its popular features: 

• New Product Showcase and Awards
• New Starter Zone
• Grooming Workshop
• Deals and Discounts
• Networking events

Showcasing all the latest product launches under one roof, the show’s reputation has grown impressively over the past 15 years since launching in 2009. With such a winning formula, PATS has become the ‘must-visit’ event for UK and international retailers and buyers.

There will be free entry for visitors, a free show catalogue, free parking for up to 1,300 cars and a complimentary tea/coffee voucher.

Retailers and buyers can register their interest in visiting PATS 2024 by going to the new-look website www.patshow.co.uk, which has all the up-to-date information about the show.

PATS organisers will also be working closely with PetQuip to encourage an increasing number of international buyers to this year’s show. Travelling to and from Telford for overseas visitors is straightforward because of the close proximity of two of the UK’s largest international airports outside of London – Birmingham and Manchester. 

When award-winning dog treat company PARK LiFE appears on Dragons’ Den this evening (8pm, Thursday) it will be third pet brand to grace the hit BBC One programme this month.

The owners of Inventor Cat and Scoff Paper have already appeared in the Den during the current series, and PARK LiFE founder Richard Marles will seeking to join them when he appears.

The fact that pet brands do so well and appear regularly on Dragons’ Den is proof enough that the programme makers recognise that the UK pet industry has a great track record of producing innovative products and businesses.

Previewing this evening’s show, which will see guest Dragon Gary Neville make his second appearance in the Den, the BBC website said: “Those pitching their ideas include a Sheffield-born dog lover who has an innovative take on dog treats.”

PARK LiFE let the cat out of the bag on Linkedin by stating: “Catch our founder Richard Marles and Chief Barketing Officer Penny, pitch PARK LiFE to the Dragons.In the meantime we'll be waiting for it to air like a puppy waiting for their treats.”

Already this series, cat product inventor Victor Carpio has clinched an £45,000 investment offer for his innovative Dental Wand from Deborah Meaden.

And Lancashire entrepreneur Gemma Connolly, who’s created a unique brand of edible greeting cards for dogs Scoff Paper, secured £50,000 backing from Sara Davies.

PARK LiFE won a New Product Award at Glee in 2022.

Dog treat firm PARK LiFE was the latest pet brand to appear of Dragons’ Den with founder Richard Marles turning down investment from Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman, after both offered the investment amount sought but proposed larger shares. 

Marles had sought £150,000 in exchange for a 5% share in the business, which offers all-natural dog treats, to fund growth, increase stock levels and fuel product innovation and NPD.

Marles pitched award-winning product Fris-Bix to the Dragons – the first frisbee-shaped dog biscuit – focusing on the fun and playful personality of the brand as well as highlighting existing organic traction on the website, and the brand’s potential to scale. 

While the Dragons bought into PARK LiFE’s vibrant branding and its fun personality, it was Marles himself who sold it with his impressive business acumen and grasp of the numbers.

Showcasing the true heart of the brand, Marles brought his family dog Penny into the pitch, with the Dragons getting involved by throwing Fris-Bix for her to catch.

Later in the pitch, Penny inadvertently showed off another of PARK LiFE’s hero products – the best-selling calming treat, Chill-Bix – by falling asleep, with Peter Jones commenting that she was the most relaxed contestant they’d ever had on the show.

While Richard chose not to take the investment offered, he did take on board insightful feedback from the Dragons – following Steven Bartlett’s comments that the brand’s packaging could be more impactful, Park Life hired a new illustrator to revamp their designs, and invested in more premium packaging to ensure the colours pop and stand out.

PARK LiFE has gone from strength to strength since participating, even exceeding the goals they’d outlined to the Dragons, having exceeded £1 million in sales. Further highlights have seen the brand expand its current range in Jollyes Pet Stores, partner with Disney to launch Mickey-Bix, participation in Aldi’s recent pet event, becoming a supplier for Pets At Home, and landing permanent listings in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.

Marles said: “Pitching in front of the Dragons was the most nerve-racking experience of my life, but something I’m delighted I put myself outside my comfort zone for. Even though we did not leave the Den with an investment or a Dragon onboard, we’ve already had so much support from retail customers requesting to stock our range, and from pet parents across the UK who are ordering direct from our website. I’d like to say a huge thank you for

supporting our family business.”

Jollyes, the Pet Industry Federation’s current retail chain of the year, has secured significant backing from investment funds managed by TDR Capital LLP to enable it to accelerate its UK store growth plans.

The investment will enable Jollyes to continue to grow its store estate at pace, as it strengthens its position as a highly competitive number two in the UK retail pet market.

The deal with TDR Capital is expected to complete in April with retailer Andy Bond (executive chairman of Pepco Group and a former CEO of Asda) due to become non-executive chairman.

On completion of the investment, TDR Capital will take a majority stake in Jollyes alongside Andy Bond and management.  The investment will help to provide important new growth and support customers, colleagues and suppliers.

Jollyes chief executive officer Joe Wykes, pictured above left with Andy Bond, said: “Jollyes has been growing at pace over the past two years, with our people providing pet parents a level of expertise and service that is hard to find.

“This new investment will help us build a much bigger stage, accelerating our growth plans and giving us the resources we need to bring more value to more places.

“We look forward to partnering with TDR on the exciting next phase of our growth in the UK.

“I’d also like to thank our chairman Richard Cotter for its stewardship of this business over the last six years and formally welcome Andy Bond to our board.

“Andy’s retail credentials and ‘know-how’ in the value sector make him an ideal chair for Jollyes, customers and colleagues.  I’m looking forward to his counsel and guidance as we continue to grow at pace.”

Gary Lindsay, Managing Partner at TDR Capital, said:  “It is fantastic to be partnering with Joe and the Jollyes team to provide even more momentum behind the strong growth of recent years.

“In Jollyes, we identified a solid business with excellent foundations and significant potential to grow even more ambitiously in the years to come.

“Through our investment, we will deploy our significant retail expertise and support the company in rolling out its store expansion plans even more rapidly, including opening more grooming and veterinary-led community pet clinics.

“We are confident that Jollyes can further cement itself in the pet retail sector and increase the competitiveness of the market, which will benefit customers, colleagues and suppliers alike.”

Adam Maidment, Managing Partner at Kester Capital, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved with Jollyes. We have doubled the workforce, doubled the revenue and more than doubled the profitability, building one of the largest specialty pet retailers in the country.

“It’s a great success story and exactly the kind of value creation story Kester is about.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside Joe, Richard and the wider team over the last six years. We wish the management team and the business every success for the future.” 

Lower prices for pet parents

The accelerated opening of new stores will help Jollyes continue to drive down prices for customers, as it extends its reach into new locations, increasing competition in the £6 billion UK pet market.

Jollyes has ambitious plans to open an additional 12 new stores over the next 12 months and already has agreements secured for locations in Northampton, Nuneaton, Chester and East Kilbride.

The retailer has grown it’s estate by 50 per cent in three years, opening 33 stores in 26 months.

Last week it opened its 99th new store at Belfast Connswater, Northern Ireland and will open its 100th store at Newport in Gwent on Friday (1 March) and its 101st in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on 22 March.

Jollyes’ 100th store in Newport opens on St David’s Day and underscores its commitment to South Wales having recently opened stores in Llanelli and Merthyr Tydfil.

TDR’s investment in Jollyes will also allow it to accelerate the roll out of grooming and veterinary-led community pet clinics for customers as it lowers the total cost of pet care. 

Rewards for colleagues

The deal also demonstrates Jollyes’ commitment to its colleagues and to becoming one of the best employers in retail. 

In the last 12 months it has already introduced a package of benefits for all its 1,200-plus colleagues nationwide, including birthday leave, a ‘pet-eternity’ day for colleagues getting a new pet in the family, a week off on full pay for all colleagues on when they get married, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and an enhanced 20 per cent discount off all Jollyes services.

The new investment will create even more career development opportunities for the Jollyes team, including new roles with broader responsibilities.

Opportunities for suppliers

TDR’s investment will also provide new opportunities for suppliers, making Jollyes the natural partner for like-minded, ambitious and entrepreneurial partners.

Over the last 12 months, Jollyes has helped small North East raw dog food supplier Durham Animal Feeds reach a nationwide audience through the roll out of raw frozen ‘shop-in-shops’.

It has also concluded a three-year contract with United Petfood,  creating new jobs at production facilities at Llangadog and Pencader in South Wales and Longridge near Preston as Jollyes build its growing private label business.

As part of the new deal to supply Jollyes with a growing range of Lifestage brand food and treats, United is creating 36 new jobs at production facilities at Llangadog and Pencader in South Wales and Longridge near Preston.

TDR Capital was advised by HSBC and Barclays (M&A), PwC (financial and tax) and CMS (legal). Kester Capital was advised by Houlihan Lokey (M&A), PwC (financial and tax) and Osborne Clarke (legal). Management was advised by Jamieson (financial), Blick Rothenberg (tax) and Osborne Clarke (legal).

Fast growing pet retail group Jollyes opens its 99th store in Belfast, Northern Ireland, tomorrow (Friday, February 23). The new outlet has created 14 jobs.

The new 5,500 sq ft superstore is the company’s 15th store in Northern Ireland and third in Belfast.

Jollyes used the store opening to search for its first ever Ambassa-dogs – pooches who in return for their paw print on an advertising contract, will receive six months food for wearing a jacket advertising the store.

Jollyes charity partner, PlayForStrays, was also part of the opening celebrations.

And the first 99 customers received a red balloon as they headed into the new store to sniff out the wide range of merchandise and services on offer.

And the treats didn’t stop there as all customers on the day had the chance to enter into a draw for the opportunity to win £99 to use in store.

The Pet Industry Federation’s current retail chain of the year will open its 100th store in Newport, Gwent on Friday, March 1, followed by its 101st in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on March 22.

Award-winning company Pet Treats Wholesale is expanding into a 7,750 sq ft industrial unit which will provide a larger packing and fulfilment provision for the firm’s continued growth.

The business, which won a New Product Award with its Gourmet Advent Calendar at PATS Telford in 2023, will move into the new unit on Crown Industrial Estate in Burton upon Trent.

Business founder and owner Dominic Jolivet said: “Pet Treats has its roots firmly established in Burton upon Trent. From humble beginnings using just a single oven, to becoming the largest manufacturer of gourmet sausages for dogs in the UK, Pet Treats Wholesale Ltd has been supplying treats to dogs (and their owners) since 2011. 

“We manufacture our range of sausages, sticks, slices, and pate, as well as many of our dried natural products, using British meat, right here in our factory in Staffordshire. For everything else, we only work with trusted UK and EU suppliers, to ensure your pets are getting the very best natural treats. We sell to members of the public directly from our website and store, as well as to trade and wholesale customers, including large companies with multiple stores nationwide.

"As a trained chef, I came up with the idea when trying to purchase treats for my own dogs, becoming increasingly frustrated with inferior, poor quality and sometimes mis-labelled imports on offer, which often made my dogs ill. 

“By launching Pet Treats, we continue to offer pet owners high quality natural treats, including gourmet sausages made with only the finest quality British meats. We only provide British and EU approved products to ensure wholesome goodness, whilst supporting the British Farming Industry."

Pet Treats Wholesale won a New Product Award at PATS Telford last year with Louis Jolivet (pictured second from left) and Dominic Jolivet (second from right).

Director Louis Jolivet added: “Due to our continued growth, we needed to find a larger unit to house our packing and fulfilment part of the business. Personal thanks to Simon – local Salloway Agent, for alerting me to this unit as it was coming to market and for the speed in which lease matters were progressed. From initially viewing the unit to taking occupation, the whole process took just six weeks.”

Salloway Commercial Agency Surveyor, Simon Walker commented: Timing was crucial for this lease deal to happen, and all parties are extremely happy that letting terms were agreed and matters concluded very swiftly.”

“It is always a joy to witness continued success and growth with any local business in the area and I am delighted that Unit 6 Crown Industrial Estate was a very suitable and timely property solution to be able to provide to Pet Treats.”

Fresh dog food brand Butternut Box has launched an international out-of-home (OOH) campaign featuring the winners of its ‘Dogs Deserve Fame’ competition, giving lucky pups a well-deserved moment in the spotlight.

Butternut Box called out to dog owners across the UK and Republic of Ireland in search of special pets that they felt should be made famous. The prize? The opportunity for the beloved dogs to represent their hometown as the stars of the brand’s £20K OOH campaign.

The proud dog parents submitted funny, endearing, and entertaining videos of their pups in the thousands. The competition received 2,855 video entries, each exceptional for a unique reason.

With the belief that every dog deserves to be celebrated, the winners were not chosen lightly.  11 good boys and girls were selected for their individual ‘wow’ factor, with winning attributes including providing medical assistance, master ball skills and frisbee catching, and making friends wherever they go (even with cats).

The winners have each gone on to represent their city as the furry faces of the new advertising campaign, which calls on dog owners to unleash the benefits of a fresh diet for dogs - from healthier skin to a shinier coat and improved gut health.

Live at 39 sites, the campaign spans bus shelters, shopping centres and railway stations across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The stars of the campaign include Pablo and Waldo from London, Maple from Bristol, Teddy from Liverpool, Freya from Manchester, Coco from Leeds, Beau from Birmingham, Delila from Sheerness, Leo from Dublin, Rollo from Sussex and Jolene from Devon.

One lucky pup will also be chosen for a starring role in the brand’s new TV advertisement later this year, giving the Dulux dog and Andrex puppy a run for their money.

Christy McCormick, Brand and Creative Director at Butternut Box said: “We were blown away by the incredible response to our Dogs Deserve Fame competition. We believe every dog is special and should be celebrated, and how better to do this than making them the real stars of our new advertising campaign.

“At Butternut Box, we’re committed to using only the freshest, human-quality ingredients in our meals, ensuring every dog can enjoy a tasty, nutritious diet that helps them to stay fit and healthy for longer. Our campaign celebrates the dogs that love Butternut Box and it’s been an honour to give them the fame they deserve.”

Butternut Box is now calling on dog owners across the UK and Republic of Ireland to sign up for news on its next Dogs Deserve Fame competition, which will celebrate canines destined for fame in 2024. 

For more information visit: https://join.butternutbox.com/dogs-deserve-fame-2024-sign-up/

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Veterinary medicines supplier Animalcare Group has sold its majority stake in pet microchipping business Identicare to a fund managed by Bridgepoint for £24.9m.

Identicare is the UK's leading microchipping and pet protection specialist business.

Founded in 1989 by Animalcare plc, Identicare operates the UK's longest-established and largest microchipping and keeper registration database. In 2021 the brand became a separate subsidiary company and in 2022 signed a development venture with entrepreneur Robert Diamond (pictured) to help the company develop an innovative range of pet protection services for millions of pet lovers.

Following this new deal, Identicare is now backed by Bridgepoint, one of the UK's largest growth investors.

Identicare CEO Robert Diamond said: "I want to thank Animalcare for their supportive stewardship of Identicare over the years. We are committed to rapidly growing our promise to pet keepers, both in the UK and hopefully overseas. 

"With the backing of a strong financial partner we will grow the team across all areas of microchipping , registration services and real-time support for keepers whose pets sadly go missing."

Jenny Winter, Animalcare chief executive officer, said: “I’m very proud to see what we have achieved with Identicare in recent years.

“Today’s decision to crystallise the value from the sale is the logical next step, significantly strengthening our balance sheet and giving us additional financial flexibility and firepower as we concentrate on growing our pharmaceutical-focused animal health business.”

The British Independent Retailers Association has said recent figures from the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index are encouraging for retailers.

Speaking about the report, which can be downloaded here, BIRA, which works with over 6,000 independent businesses of all sizes across the UK, said the figures were encouraging and that retailers were 'doing their bit' to grow consumer confidence.
 

Also reported:

• Shop Price annual inflation eased to 2.5% in February, down from 2.9% in January. This is below the 3-month average rate of 3.3%. Shop price annual growth is its lowest since March 2022.
• Non-Food inflation was unchanged at 1.3% in February. This is below the 3-month average rate of 2.0%. Inflation is its lowest since January 2022.
• Food inflation decelerated to 5.0% in February, down from 6.1% in January. This is below the 3-month average rate of 6.0% and is the tenth consecutive deceleration in the food category. Inflation is its lowest since May 2022.
• Fresh Food inflation slowed further in February, to 3.4%, down from 4.9% in January. This is below the 3-month average rate of 4.6%. Inflation is its lowest since February 2022.
• Ambient Food inflation decelerated to 7.2% in February, down from 7.7% in January. This is below the 3-month average rate of 7.8% and is the lowest since July 2022.

Andrew Goodacre, BIRA CEO said: "It is encouraging to see further rates of decline in inflation across food and non-food. I believe this reflects retailers continuing to discount in order to maintain consumer spending. With retailers doing their bit to grow consumer confidence, we hope that the Chancellor uses his budget on March 6 to do the same. We need a budget that will focus on economic growth and boost consumer confidence. We also need the Bank of England to adopt a similar approach and start to reduce interest rates."

A team at Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital in Birmingham saved a dog from constant infections resulting from a rare congenital ear abnormality.

The team at IVC Evidensia’s new £10million hospital carried out a surgical procedure after five-month-old Nova’s ear canal was found to be abnormally developed.

The condition is called congenital aural atresia.

The Dalmatian puppy faced persistent serious problems from the congenital ear abnormality which could include infections and an abscess, seldom reported in veterinary literature. 

But surgeon Lara Dempsey, Head of Soft Tissue Surgery, was able to remove the external ear canal, and open up the middle ear.

“Nova was initially taken to the primary vets after the owner noticed a lot of waxy discharge from the puppy’s left ear,” said Dr Dempsey, a European & RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery.

“When they couldn’t see that the ear canal was continuous and there was a blind-ending pouch, they referred her to us for further investigation.”

Nova was the first referral patient at Blaise, which opened at the end of 2023 and is the first purpose-built multi-disciplinary hospital for IVC Evidensia.

It offers a wide range of specialist treatments including orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries, cancer treatment, specialist cardiology procedures, neurology, internal medicine and specialist-led anaesthesia service. 

It also has an emergency and critical care service offering ICU and out of hours care.

The state-of-the-art equipment at Blaise includes CT imaging scanners which were used as part of the investigations into Nova’s condition.

“Nova’s case was extremely rare,” said Dr Dempsey. “The ear canal was divided into two compartments by a septum and was severely narrowed at the level of this septum.

“Nova would have had chronic recurrent infections and could potentially develop para-aural abscessation where an infection ruptures through the ear canal to the surrounding soft tissue.

“We carried out a total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy which involved removing the external ear canal and making a window in the bulla.

“The canal and bulla were full of wax and debris which was removed and flushed out.

“The surgery took under two hours, everything went well and fortunately there were no complications. Nova should now have an improved quality of life without the distress of having persistent infections.”

Nova’s lovely spotty ear flap is still present, leaving her showing no obvious signs of the extensive surgery, and she has made a full recovery.

Owner Shilene Gulliver, from Dudley in the West Midlands, said, “I work as a dog groomer, so I’m used to cleaning dog’s ears.

“When I noticed the cankerous smell and then couldn’t see into Nova’s ear properly, I knew there was something wrong and got her to the vet the very next day.

“I’m so pleased with what Blaise were able to do for Nova. You wouldn’t know she can’t hear from that ear and it’s a relief that she won’t face all those nasty infections.”

In the coming months, due to the rarity of Nova’s condition, the specialist surgery and imaging teams will be submitting a case study for publication in one of the veterinary journals.

It has been a busy week for Scoff Paper founder Gemma Connolly following her appearance on the BBC One hit programme Dragons’ Den.

Gemma secured major backing from Dragon Sara Davies to allow her edible greeting cards for dogs business to take full advantage of the growing pet treat market.

Following the programme, which aired a week ago, Gemma has received nearly 2,000 messages of support and she has responded to every one of them.

Writing on her Linkedin page, Gemma said: “It’s been nearly a week since airing on Dragons’ Den. Woooo! 

“Here are some little golden nuggets for you:

• I have had near two thousand messages of support. I have responded to each one, no copy & paste, just my real, raw emotion in words.
• I’ve had only three nutters out of all the messages. 
• One complained about how I said ‘thank you so much’, apparently it’s a big no no. He was very angry. 
• I have been welcomed by different communities, the pacemaker crew, the fashion and colour lovers, plus the guide dog community.

“But the best comment of all is that Sara and I should run the country. I’m taking that one to the grave.”

Pets at Home has announced the appointment of Anja Madsen as its new Chief Operating Officer – Retail, effective early April 2024.

Anja joins with extensive retail experience in both the UK and Denmark, having held prominent positions at Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and most recently serving as CEO of føtex, a premier supermarket chain in Denmark.

Over the course of the last 15 years, Anja has successfully led across all parts of retail operations including commercial, strategy, transformation, supply chain and operational management.

Prior to this, Anja was a marketing leader at Johnson & Johnson in Europe and the Middle East following four years as a strategy consultant across a range of industries. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics and holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Anja will be responsible for leading Pets at Home’s Retail business and 9,000 retail colleagues across over 450 stores, operations, logistics, supply chain and commercial, and will be focused on further enhancing the pet care centre estate along with delivering fantastic products, services, and support to Pets at Home customers.

Lyssa McGowan, Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted that Anja will be joining the Pets at Home Executive Team to lead our Retail business. We have made significant investments into our retail operations over the last 18 months and Anja’s experience leading consumer-focussed businesses will help us to realise our next phase of growth as we continue to deliver for pets and the people who love them.”

Commenting on her appointment, Anja Madsen, incoming Chief Operating Officer – Retail, said: “As a specialist retailer with such passionate and purpose-led colleagues, Pets at Home is a business I have admired from afar and I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the Executive Team at such an exciting time. With the new distribution centre in operation, the rollout of the Pets re-brand and the digital transformation underway, the business is well placed to achieve its goal of building the world’s best pet care platform, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Anja takes over the role from Lisa Miao after announcing her retirement last summer following an impressive 34-year career at the forefront of retail in the UK.

DOG, which offers carefully curated dog collars, leads and accessories, created using the best of British craftsmanship in Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, has launched leather, tweed and rope collections exclusively at Just for Pets.

Tom Maltby Senior Brand Manager at Just for Pets, said: “Like DOG we’re proud to support British businesses large and small from household names like Barbour to up and coming start up brands.”

He continued: “We’re pleased to be the first retailer to stock this range online as well as in store, the quality & craftsmanship of the DOG collection is clear to see from Italian leather and wool felt collars crafted in the Cotswolds to tweed collars with steel hardware made in Yorkshire.”

With timeless colours including Cherry & Blush, Honey & Charcoal and Peacock & Hazlenut the range really stands out on shelf as something different. A collection of keyrings is also available in the same colourways to match your dog’s attire.

Check out the full range including Paracord rope slip leads online at https://justforpets.co.uk/featured-stores/dog-shop/

The Pet Industry Federation has launched two new digital business directories on its website, showcasing members’ products and services. These directories are available at no cost and serve as a comprehensive resource for both fellow pet businesses and pet owners alike.

Offering a seamless, all-in-one destination for pet products and services from leading brands and companies within the industry, the directories are categorised into two distinct types: PIF MarketPlace, which is the product directory; and PIF B2B which is a directory of service benefits to pet businesses. Both are free for PIF members to advertise in and both can be accessed from the home page of the PIF website.

Participants in these directories can use the opportunity to enhance their brand visibility among the PIF community, benefiting from advanced features such as PDF link detection, the ability to incorporate video content and animations and access to performance analytics and reports.

Moreover, PIF members can enjoy exclusive discounts found within the directories in the members' area. 

Nigel Baker, PIF CEO, said: “This groundbreaking initiative enables PIF, as a trade association, to support its members by providing a platform to showcase their offerings, all at no cost. These directories augment the popular 'Find a PIF Member' section on our website, which already receives substantial traffic from pet owners seeking PIF-endorsed businesses.” 

The directories will be updated regularly and listings are only open to PIF members. Please see www.petfederation.co.ukto view the directories and find out about PIF membership. You can also contact daniel.everett@petfederation.co.uk for more information.