There’s a lot of positivity around at Vital this month as the company announces some major successes and further investment in the business.

It follows excellent results from PATS Sandown where the company signed up many new customers and had delegates queueing out the door to join them in the Vital Grandstand where there were some exclusive promotions on offer.

Transport will benefit from a significant £1.5 million investment in a new environmentally-friendly fleet with the final decision on vehicles expected to be made in the next few weeks. The delivery process will be supported by new technology, including a new Warehouse Management System which is about to go live and will streamline the day to day processes, from goods in through to dispatch, to allow thousands of products to be processed and re-ordered and improve efficiency.

A new modern office facility in Sheffield opened at the start of this month. Newly refurbished, this site will allow Vital to showcase products and services and will be the venue for all supplier visits going forwards.

The new regional service and support team structure is in place and up to a full complement of staff, under the management of Senior Customer Relationship Manager, Darren Porter and providing dedicated support for the growing numbers of independent retailers switching to Vital. Two new divisions will be going into operation to service the needs of key accounts and online retailers, which have been identified as having different needs. The dedicated teams are focused on delivering the products, promotions and service retailers need and this is a big step forwards which will ensure individuals receive a more tailored offer that really matches their requirements.

New products in the Mayfield range are in development to add to those recently revitalised with competitive pricing.

Director Sunny Sharma says there is a new energy to the business and excitement about what Vital can do for its customers, “There isn’t an area of the business where we haven’t made improvements – we have looked at everything and asked ‘can we do this better’. That’s meant big changes like a wide ranging recruitment programme to bring more great people into the business and investments in new technology, as well as small changes in the warehouse so our fastest moving lines are easiest to access. We’ve talked to hundreds of suppliers and retailers to find out what they want and need and established some really positive relationships.”

He continued, “We really haven’t been afraid to make the bold decisions that make this business not just fit for purpose but fit for the future of the pet trade.”

Suppliers to the pet trade have also been building strong relationships with the new Vital. Jonathan Collins at Burgess reports that the company has noticed improvements at every level of the business, “We’re enjoying working with some highly motivated, professional people and have benefited from new opportunities to bring our products to the attention of retailers at events like PATS as part of the Vital Grandstand showcase. Delivering strong promotions at win-win prices that work for everyone in the supply chain has been a real focus and will benefit the trade enormously.”

Lewis Copse of Nestle Purina says his experience backs this up, “We’ve been really impressed by the results delivered by the new technology that Vital has introduced – it’s really expanded their capabilities and is opening up some exciting opportunities to turn around products quickly and efficiently.”

Davie Hirst of Outward Hounds says that it’s been very happy with the support provided by Vital – the exclusive distributor for the products in the UK, “It’s been a really good decision for us and really rewarding to see retailers and consumers get excited over our novel training toys and accessories.”

The new approach extends to building strong external relations and Vital has also sponsored Beth’s Dog Show (www.bethsdogshow.co.uk) which runs events to support The Sarah Kitchener Perrow Fund (Brain Tumour Charity) and German Shepherd Rescue South. The dog shows were set up by one of Vital’s lead drivers who lost his cousin Sarah to a brain tumour in 2010 and wanted some good to come of this tragic event. The company will also run to a Family Fun day in July at North Tawton, near its national distribution depot, to say thank you to the local community for its support.

Rounding off a highly successful few months, both Directors Sunny and Ravi Sharma have also been short listed as finalists in the Institute of Directors Yorks & NE Director of the Year Awards.

To find out more about Vital visit www.vitalpetproducts.co.uk or telephone 01837 883000.