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Pets at Home

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Pets at Home
Company typePublic limited company
LSE: PETS
IndustryRetail
Founded1991; 33 years ago (1991)
FounderAnthony Preston
HeadquartersHandforth, England, United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
ProductsPet supplies
Revenue£729.1 million (2015)[1]
£96.8 million (2015)[1]
£72.2 million (2015)[1]
Websitewww.petsathome.com
Pets at Home, Westgate Retail Park, West Yorkshire. (2009)

Pets at Home is the United Kingdom's largest pet supplies retailer, with more than 370 stores and 6,000 employees.[2] The company sells products including food, toys, bedding, medication and accessories and pets.

History

The first store was opened in Chester in 1991, by Anthony Preston.[3] In December 1999, Pets at Home acquired Petsmart UK,[4] bringing a chain of 140 stores under Pets at Home branding.[5] In April 2004, Pets at Home was sold to Bridgepoint Capital for £230 million. The sale was completed in July 2004.[6]

In November 2007, the 200th store, Barnstaple, opened.[7] Pets at Home has also started global recognition with two stores opened in Melbourne, Australia. The two stores opened in Australia have since been taken over. On 27 January 2010, Pets at Home was sold by Bridgepoint Capital, to United States-based investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) for around £955 million.[8]

The 17 September 2012 episode of BBC consumer affairs television programme Watchdog included a report on animal and fish welfare conditions at Pets at Home.[9] The programme had visited eight stores, as part of an investigation which included Mike Jessop, former president of the Small Animal Veterinary Association. The programme discovered evidence of mistreatment of small animals, dead fish being left to rot and be eaten in tanks, and sick small animals up for sale.[9][10] That month, Pets at Home subsequently issued a full response to the claims made in the broadcast.[11]

In March 2014, the company was the subject of an Initial Public Offering.[12]

In July 2015, Watchdog aired a follow-up report, again highlighting alleged shortcomings in the care of animals for sale, including footage of dead fish floating in tanks, rabbits being sold without promised health checks and staff offering disputed advice on the care of reptiles.

Operations

The company's headquarters are located in Handforth, near Wilmslow, Cheshire. The company's main warehouse is located in Stoke and is roughly 160,000 m2. This warehouse supplies the majority of the business and has been expanded on numerous occasions. A second warehouse was opened in June 2011, close to the M1 Motorway near Northampton. It is roughly 28,000 m2, significantly smaller than the main warehouse.

The company works with 227 veterinary surgeons who practice from its stores and in 2015 there were a total of 338 veterinary practices in joint partnerships with the company. They are generally small businesses which pay a percentage of turnover as a management fee to the company for back office services. The company runs a graduate training scheme intended to produce future joint venture partners.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Annual Report for year ended 31 December 2015" (PDF). Pets at Home. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Pampering pets for profit". BBC News. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  3. ^ Goodman, Matthew; Kemeny, Lucinda (18 April 2004). "Pets At Home groomed for £200m sale". The Times. London. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Company Briefs". The New York Times. 16 December 1999. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  5. ^ "Pets at Home Woofs up Growth". Estates Gazette. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  6. ^ "Bridgepoint poised to swoop on Pets at Home". Financial Times. 19 July 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  7. ^ Finch, Julia (8 November 2007). "Pampered pooches could go public". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  8. ^ "KKR buys Pets at Home for £955m". The Telegraph. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Pets at Home on Watchdog". Pet Product Marketing. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Pets at Home sell Dead fish, Guinea pigs with Ringworm, ill Rabbits". BBC Watchdog. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Response to Matters raised by Watchdog". Pets at Home. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  12. ^ "Poundland and Pets at Home set flotation share prices". 12 March 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Seven day services: Setting up shop on the high street". Health Service Journal. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.

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