Industry News

Jan- 2021 -

22 January

Retail sales fall to lowest ever annual level

The retail sector has suffered its largest annual fall since records began, with total sales down 1.9% against the year prior, as restrictions on non-essential retail continued to impact the sector as a whole. This was the biggest decline since records began in 1997, according to the ONS. After declines…

21 January

Chancellor considers adding furlough extension to March budget

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering another extension to the government’s Job retention Scheme (JRS) as it continues to try and mitigate the impact of covid-19 on the UK economy. According to Bloomberg, Sunak is considering a fifth extension to the furlough scheme that will cover roughly 5 million workers…

21 January

Instructors named best dog training company in Nottingham

Two members of The Kennel Club’s Accredited Instructors scheme have been recognised as the best dog training company in Nottingham. Marie Holt and Bev Smith, who run In Line Dog Training, were awarded Best Dog Training Company in Nottingham in the recent SME News Midlands Enterprise Awards 2020. The awards…

21 January

Pets at Home sees sales soar to £302m

Pets at Home has reported total revenue growth of 18.% to £302m in the 12 weeks to 2 January. The pet retailer accredited the rise in sales to its ability to “adapt quickly” to the Covid environment – with like for like revenue growth up 17.5%. Pets at Home, which…

20 January

Usdaw welcomes success of The Protection of Workers Bill

Usdaw has announced that the Protection of Workers Bill was successfully steered through the Scottish Parliament by MSP Daniel Johnson. Stewart Forrest, Scottish divisional officer for Usdaw, said the trade union was grateful for the support of MSPs and congratulated Daniel Johnson MSP on securing “ground-breaking” legislation which protects shop…

20 January

Pet crematorium raises £2,000 for charity

Dignity Pet Crematorium has announced it has raised £2,000 from its annual charity Christmas Tree, its biggest total ever, with funds split equally between the Samaritans and nine other charities. Every year, the Hampshire-based crematorium displays a Christmas tree in its foyer and invites clients to make a small donation…

20 January

Dog rescuer launches online flea and worm treatment subscription service

A dog rescuer from Merseyside has launched Flerm, the UK’s first online flea and worm treatment subscription service that includes free 24/7 digital access to emergency vets. Chris Walker launched his new business in December to help give dog and cat owners “an alternative way of taking care of their…

19 January

Cat obesity on the rise, warns Cats Protection

Cats Protection has warned that cat obesity has been on the rise over the past 10 months, with over a quarter of cat owners having overfed their cat since March 2020. In its recent survey of over 2,000 cat owners, 28% said they had overfed their pet since the start…

19 January

Benyfit Natural expands its range

Raw dog food brand Benyfit Natural has expanded its range with the launch of two new Goose based products: Goose and Turkey Complete Adult Working Dog Food and ‘80*10*10 Goose Meat Feast Adult Working Dog Food. According to the company, it has chosen to put Goose in some of its…

19 January

Brexit negotiations lead to new EU pet passports

Pets travelling between Northern Ireland (NI) and Great Britain (GB) now require either a newly issued EU passport or an EU animal health certificate following the end of the Brexit transition period. While there were previously “no requirements” for pets travelling across the border, the result of Brexit negotiations on…