High street giant opening 4 new stores with £3m investment | UK | News
A major high street chain has announced four new openings as part of a massive £3m expansion plan. Pets At Home currently operates around 460 stores in the UK and is the go-to place for many British pet owners for things like dog beds, food and toys. Four new stores are scheduled to open throughout March, one of which has already opened in London. The four new locations will be pet care centres, adding more than 20,000 square meters of space to the brand’s UK property.
The new stores are located in Giltbrook (Nottingham), Stocksbridge (Sheffield), Kew (London) and Glossop (Derbyshire), offering customers a range of in-store and veterinary services. The new Pets at Home opened in Kew, South West London, on Friday 13 March. The new 9,911-square-foot store features a pet village, aquatics center and expert support center. The Glossop store is moving to a larger 7,663sq ft pet care centre, which includes 24-hour emergency support and veterinary services as well as an adoption centre.
Meanwhile, new Pet Vet practices in Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire and Giltbrook, Nottinghamshire, will open later this month.
Pets at Home chief operating officer Anja Madsen said these openings were a demonstration of the brand’s commitment to expanding and improving in-store services for pet owners in the UK.
“Continued investment in our physical property is central to strengthening our retail strategy and our broader pet care ecosystem,” he said.
“By modernizing our stores and expanding into new locations, we are enhancing the personal experience that many of our customers value, from customized recommendations to convenient, integrated services.”
Richard Dening-Smitherman, chief executive of Vets for Pets, added: “Our unique joint venture model continues to set Vets for Pets apart, giving our partners the freedom to run their own practices whilst benefiting from the scale, investment and infrastructure of the UK’s leading pet care business.”
Pets at Home describes itself as the UK’s leading pet care company, providing “the best products, services and advice to guide owners through their pet care journey”.
According to its website, there are currently 459 pet care centers, 343 grooming salons and 448 veterinary offices. It was founded in 1991 by Anthony Preston with the first store opening in Chester. In 1999, it acquired PetSmart in the UK and expanded the chain to 140 stores.
