Industry News

May- 2020 -

5 May

Dogs Trust launches ‘a dog is for life, not just for lockdown’ scheme

Dogs Trust is urging the public to remember that “a dog is for life, not just for lockdown” as online searches to “buy a puppy” increase by 120%. As part of its new campaign, ‘a dog is for life, not just lockdown’, the charity is asking people to weigh up…

4 May

Bestpets reinstates customer registrations amid Covid-19 pandemic

Bestpets, the specialist pet arm of Bestway Wholesale has reinstated customer registrations amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Bestpets has opened its doors once more to new customer registrations for pet businesses wishing to use its cash and carry service. This comes after the business has implemented social distancing measures to keep…

4 May

Beaphar manufacturers hand sanitiser amid Covid crisis

Pet product company Balphar has announced its decision to manufacture a batch of hand sanitiser to help with the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Produced at the manufacturing site near Beaphar’s head office in Raalte, the Netherlands, the one-off project has produced 22,500 bottles of hand sanitiser. The hand gels have been…

4 May

Southfields launches outreach programme

Southfields veterinary centre in Essex announced the launch of a “pioneering” outreach programme for aspiring nurses. The veterinary specialists said the programme will aim to help young people enter the profession through a two-pronged online approach in light of college closures amid the pandemic. Senior vet nurses at Southfields, Charlotte…

4 May

Animal Friends and Aviva launch partnership

Animal Friends Insurance has announced a new partnership with Aviva following a 12-month tender process. Aviva reportedly decided to enter a partnership with the pet insurance specialist in order to provide pet insurance policies for new customers. Customers who now visit the Aviva website or app to purchase pet insurance…

4 May

Bira releases ‘life after lockdown’ strategy

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has released its 10-point “life after lockdown” strategy, calling on the government to consider lifting restrictions on smaller retailers first. In an open letter, CEO Andrew Goodacre’s survival plan encourages retailers to consider sustainable retail, customer focused experiences and multi-channel sales to survive post…

1 May

Scrumbles to sell products through Sainsbury’s

Scrumbles has announced it is set to make its supermarket debut at Sainsbury’s later this month. The natural pet food brand will begin stocking its chicken and chicken with salmon dry cat food Sainsbury’s shelves across the UK on 10 May. Both products contain natural ingredients with “no added nonsense”,…

1 May

Vetark launches hand sanitiser

Vetark has announced the launch of a new hand sanitiser product called Defense, in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The pet health group has worked alongside its parent company, Candioli, to bring the product to market “in record time”. Available in 80ml and 200ml dispensers, Defense is reportedly suitable…

1 May

Spectrum Brands reports 62% rise in operating income in Q2 results

Pet and aquatic products supplier Spectrum Brands has reported a 62.7% increase in operating income to $67.7m (£53.9m) compared with $41.6m (£33.1m), in its second quarter results. In the period ended 29 March, the company reported a 7.7% increase in gross profit to $328.9 (£261.2m) compared with $305.5 (£242.9m). It…

1 May

Revaluation of business rates postponed following pressure from Bira

A government plan to bring forward the next revaluation of business rates to April 1, 2021, has been shelved following pressure from the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira). Bira joined other heads of the retail sector in demanding that Chancellor Rishi Sunak withdraw ‘disastrous’ legislation, which was due to be…