Pets at Home has taken a stake in the dog-walking and pet-sitting service Tailster.com, aiming to grab a slice of a market estimated to be worth £1bn.

Tailster uses a network of 26,000 self-employed pet carers across the UK, which it connects with customers via an app that offers GPS tracking of dog walks, real time photos and free insurance.

The UK’s biggest pets retailer will offer Tailster’s services to its 4.4 million loyalty scheme members.

Peter Pritchard, Pets at Home CEO, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce this exciting new partnership with Tailster. It is a win-win deal, good for both businesses but especially good for owners searching for someone they can trust to look after their much-loved pet.

“This announcement also represents an important step towards delivering our ambition to generate 50% of our revenue from services, a strategy that is serving us and our customers well. I’m sure our 4.4 million active VIP members will love this easy access to convenient walking and boarding services.”

Indy Sangha, Tailster CEO, added: “We are incredibly excited to be able to work with the team at Pets at Home. We’ve spent the past few years consolidating a previously fragmented market worth over £1bn per year, and we’re delighted to be able to now offer this to Pets at Home customers.

“Not only do the team at Pets at Home share our vision about how we can bring our services to UK pet owners and drive the growth of our business, but they also share many of our values of putting pets first, and the customer at the heart of what we do. This was really important to the Tailster team and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to partner with a business that is a great fit for us, what we do and our ambitions for the future.”