Coronavirus

Aug- 2020 -

12 August

Exeter Pets at Home store to permanently close

Retail chain Pets at Home has closed one of its stores in Exeter. The Marsh Barton site stopped trading on Friday (7 August), but will keep its other outlet at Rydon Lane retail park. According to Devon Live, Pets at Home confirmed that 20% of the store’s workforce will lose…

11 August

Petplan donates ‘vital’ funds to charities

Pet insurer Petplan has paid £700,000 in funds to its animal charity partners to support them through the pandemic. This follows recent research from the Association of Dog and Cat Homes (ADCH) that found a worrying 48% of members did not have funds to ensure they could continue to operate…

7 August

Poor July sales rock high street recovery

Poor in-store sales through the month of July have “dampened hopes of a recovery” across UK high streets, according to the latest High Street Sales Tracker from BDO. In-store like-for-like sales decreased by 39.4% last month, down from a marginal base of 0.1% that was reported the year before. According…

4 August

PIF announces autumn dates for Virtual Petindex

The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) has announced the dates for its second Virtual Petindex (VPI) online pet trade event in autumn. Taking place on 11-12 October 2020, it follows the “success” of the UK’s first online pet trade show, Virtual Petindex (VPI). The federation announced an early-bird rate is available…

4 August

Mandatory face coverings spark ‘modest’ uplift in footfall

Footfall across all UK retail destinations saw a “modest” uplift last week, with footfall up by 2.8% against the week prior. According to Springboard, this may have been boosted by the mandatory use of face coverings in shops, after footfall was up by 4.4% the weekend the rule was introduced. …

Jul- 2020 -

30 July

BSAVA president comments on confirmed Covid-19 pet case

BSAVA President, Professor Ian Ramsey has commented on the Defra announcement of the first confirmed case of a pet cat infected with Covid-19 in the UK. Earlier this week, The UK’s chief veterinary officer has confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in…

28 July

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home postpone 2020 events

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has announced the postponement of its 2020 annual events amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisation made the “difficult decision” to postpone its Paws by the Prom Open Day and Christmas Market. Other events which have also been postponed include Pub Quiz, Car Boot Sale and…

28 July

Covid-19 confirmed in pet cat in the UK

The UK’s chief veterinary officer has confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in the UK. The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge on 22 July. Government officials said although this is the…

28 July

RVC boards Covid research project

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has been awarded a grant worth almost £200,000 to join a collaborative research project that will examine companion animal susceptibility to coronavirus. The study, named MASCOT (Mapping Animal Susceptibility to Coronavirus: Outcomes and Transcriptomics), will aim to achieve a greater understanding of why certain people…

24 July

Pet purchases soar during UK lockdown

Pet purchases have been listed as one of the “biggest expenses” during the UK lockdown, according to a Barclaycard survey. In total the survey found that £40.6bn was spent on items during lockdown, with Brits spending an average of £771.34 each during lockdown, as retailers capitalised on the demand for…