Pet retail group reports strongest-ever full year performance

Like-for-like sales also grew by 17% over the full year, over double the market which grew at eight per cent. Sixty per cent of the like-for-like increase has come from transaction growth not inflation – an indication of how Jollyes has protected customers from rising prices.

The increase in turnover continues through a mix of higher sales at existing stores, new openings and acquisitions, and rising digital demand for home delivery and click and collect services.

Stores

Now trading from 90 stores across the UK, Jollyes opened 13 new locations in the financial year and today confirmed it had secured a new £3m facility from HSBC that will allow it to open at least 10 additional stores in the balance of calendar 2023.

Store openings already agreed for the coming months include Belfast Boucher Road (July), Swindon (July), Merthyr Tydfil (August), Harrogate (September) and Swadlincote (November).

Subject to successful lease negotiations, it also has plans to open at least five additional new stores this calendar year in central Scotland, Northern Ireland, Berkshire, Kent and Somerset, putting Jollyes on course to reach its 100-store target ahead of schedule.

Jobs

As Jollyes has rapidly developed its reach, it has been able to deliver more dream jobs to those looking to work with animals.

Over the financial year it has added over 160 people across the UK, employing its 1,000th colleague in April at its new Christchurch store and ending the year with 1,021 on the Jollyes team.

During the year it has given colleagues £600 to help support them through the cost-of-living crisis and enhanced staff discounts of up to 60 per cent.

It has also continued with its SQP training programme in FY23 through Vetpol, and after 45 colleagues passed their exams in H2, Jollyes now has 131 suitably qualified colleagues trained to dispense veterinary medicines. One of its team – Paul Cartledge from Cannock – was named Companion Animal SQP of the Year.

Services

As well as investing in its colleagues and new stores, Jollyes has invested in its existing estate, giving significant makeovers to an additional 10 stores across the UK.

As well as introducing new branding, it is investing £1m over the current financial year to supercharge the provision of vet clinics, grooming parlours, and other pet services in its stores.

Between now and the summer of 2024, Jollyes is doubling the number of stores that offer community pet clinics and doubling opening hours for those clinics.

Jollyes is also doubling the number of grooming locations and by the end of June, all its pet spas will be re-branded, refurbished and re-launched as “The Jolly Groomer”.

Private Label

Jollyes is investing in its pet food ranges to deliver its promise to be the best value pet shop in town.

As more and more pet owners switch on to the health and wellbeing benefits of raw frozen food, it has rolled out five full raw ‘shop-in-shops’ in Edinburgh, Llanelli, Milton Keynes, Newport (Isle of Wight) and Romford.

It has also invested significantly in high quality private label pet food such as its own Lifestage, K9 and Rileys brands which offer a premium experience without a big brand price tag.

Over the course of the financial year, private label sales have grown by 64 per cent as customers take advantage of the value and quality its in-house brands provide. Now over half of all dog food sold in Jollyes is an in-house brand, approximately 25 per cent better value than its branded equivalent.

Jollyes chief executive officer Joe Wykes said: “The value we provide, the local service we offer and the ranges we’ve developed are proving to be a powerful combination in the growing number of communities we serve.

“Fundamental to our continued outperformance of the market has been the deep pet expertise of our own people.

“I’d like to thank the whole team – colleagues old and new - for their efforts over the last 12 months.

“But like them, I’m excited about what more we can achieve in the years ahead.

“Today, fewer than one in five potential customers lives within five miles of one of our stores. With the right team, the right backing and the right ambition, we have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us to bring the value and service that’s already making an impact, to significantly more UK communities.”

Other key FY23 highlights:

Opened new stores in 2022/3 at Edinburgh, Glenrothes, Port Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland, Llanelli and Wrexham in Wales, and Christchurch, Southport, Peterborough, Poole, Scunthorpe, Stockton-on-Tees and Warrington in England.
Brought Midlands-based Penparc into the Jollyes family in July 2022, with five stores in Cannock, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, West Bromwich and Telford.
Gave makeovers to stores at Lurgan, Newry and Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, Bedford, Dartford, Gosport, Newport (Isle of Wight), Romford and St Helens in England and Clydebank in Scotland as part of its investment and modernisation of its estate.
During the financial year added 30 community pet clinics to stores and launched a partnership with Leeds-based Eville & Jones to provide in-store veterinary services from fully trained and Royal Veterinary College-accredited vets.
Introduced Jolly Groomer rebrands to Bedford, Dartford, Eccles, Edinburgh, Gosport, Halifax, Scunthorpe, Skegness, Stevenage, St Helens, Tonbridge and Wrexham.
Grew its total PetCLUB membership to over 1m, with over 700,000 active users helping footfall in store reach a record 6.3m.
Validating the commitment of its people to top-notch customer service, added 20,000 five-star customer service reviews on Trustpilot.
During the year Jollyes has also strengthened its leadership team through the appointment of fresh talent to help drive its ambitious growth plans. Recent hires include estates director Warren Bester from Topps Tiles, chief financial officer Ross Chester from Primrose and retail director Craig Smith from Pets at Home.