The pet trade has given PATS Sandown a thumbs-up with exhibitors and visitors agreeing it has been one of the best shows in its 10-year history.
Retailers from both the UK and overseas created a surge of activity over two days of business in the Surrey and Esher Halls at Sandown Park.
The show closed with visitors and exhibitors agreeing it had been a success, with the event delivering an unrivalled platform for the launch of hundreds of exciting pet product innovations.
The New Product Showcase, sponsored by pbwnews, was a busy area throughout the event, and retailers admitted they were spoiled for choice as they decided on which items to stock in their stores for the year ahead.
Exhibitors agreed the quality of visitors to their stands was exceptional, and there was a great degree of confidence being shown.
Forthglade’s head of sales Bill Kimberling said his company had experienced two brilliant days. “We’ve had a massive stack of orders for our products, and seen some very important people.”
Ken McKinnon, of K9 Dogwash, was in agreement, saying: “This has got to be one of the best shows I’ve experienced, and I’m very happy with the response. We’ve seen a good mix of big retail chains and independent retailers.”
Anco used PATS Sandown to unveil a complete re-brand of the company with exciting new packing wowing visitors to the company’s stand. “We targeted this year’s Sandown show to launch our re-branding and it has been very successful,” said Colin Maidment. “For us it has proved to be the perfect platform.”
The show was also a big occasion for Natures Menu, who used the event as the nationwide launch of their new True Instinct pet food brand, and
Peter Roy said the company had surpassed their orders target. “We’ve been flat out for the whole two days.”
SnuggleSafe won a New Product Award at last year’s Sandown show and the accolade helped to generate lots of interest in his products this year. Chris Kavallares said: “The response from visitors has been fantastic – I’m particularly impressed with the quality of enquiries,” while his wife Nicky commented: “This is the best and friendliest trade show I attend.”
Steve Lodge, of Hertford Shelving, said: “The show has fulfilled all my expectations. It’s the perfect place to meet new and old customers, and there is always a buzz about the place.”
And Suzanne Rothman, of Pet Munchies, reported good business on her stand with an impressive amount of orders taken. “This has been the best PATS Sandown ever. The quality of people we’ve met has been excellent, and I’ve even had an enquiry from a Russian distributor.”
Among the 37 exhibitors new to PATS Sandown were Wild Ocean Omega 3 Fish Snacks Ltd, trading as Woofs. “We found the show to be an ideal vehicle to introduce our new brand of fish snacks for dogs using fresh sustainable and ethically sourced fish products,” said managing director Stewart Irvine. “Thanks to PATS we have met representatives from various sectors of the industry and are very optimistic for our brand’s expansion.”
The mood amongst visitors was summed up by Claire Thomsett, a pet buyer at Bodle Bros, West Sussex, who said: “PATS Sandown is a very engaging show. Everyone is friendly and helpful. There was a great variety of products, and I found the stands to be enticing.”
Neil Reed, of Pet Stop, Isle of Wight, said: “This is the first time I’ve visited the show and I’m impressed with the diversity of all the products. Seeing all the ranges under one roof is great for independent retailers like us.”
According to Vicky Harrison, of Vicky’s Paws and Chores, Chichester, “PATS has a fantastic range of products. There is so much to see all under one roof.”
And Victor Brobyn, of The Pet Shop in Sittingbourne, said: “My focus was on sourcing new products and we’ve had a profitable day. There were some great retail ideas on many outstanding stands, which I will use in my shop.”
Glenn Hall, who runs a grooming business called Doggylocks, in West London, was on the lookout for pet products in his store and he wasn’t disappointed. “PATS is an amazing place, perfect for finding new stock. We’ve had a profitable day.”
Organiser Gordon Thomas said: “We’re proud to be celebrating our 10th anniversary of PATS at Sandown. We love running this exhibition and it’s great to hear that exhibitors and visitors have experienced a brilliant show, demonstrating that PATS is the show for serious buyers of pet products.”
