High Street
The high street remains a vital battleground for pet retailers, balancing in-person service with growing digital competition. Pet Gazette covers the role of independent pet shops, regional chains, and national retailers on UK high streets — reporting on shop openings and closures, rent pressures, footfall trends, and evolving customer expectations. We also examine localised marketing strategies, product merchandising, and how high street stores adapt to omni-channel retail. For wholesalers and suppliers, this tag offers visibility into the challenges and opportunities facing brick-and-mortar stockists across towns and cities.
-
Mar- 2021 -4 MarchRetailing
February footfall rises across all destinations despite lockdown
Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by 16% in February against the previous month, despite the continuation of lockdown and ongoing restrictions on non-essential retail. According to Springboard’s latest footfall monitor, this marks the largest month-on-month increase for February since its footfall data first became available in 2009. Footfall rose…
Read More » -
Feb- 2021 -23 FebruaryCoronavirus
Footfall rises for fifth consecutive week
Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by 6.8% last week against the week before, marking the fifth consecutive week of uplift ahead of the PM’s highly anticipated ‘roadmap’ announcement yesterday. According to the latest data from Springboard, this was only a fifth less than the rise of 8.5% in the…
Read More » -
19 FebruaryGovernment & Legislation
Sunak to delay review of business rates until autumn
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to reveal that he will delay a final report on the review of business rates until later this year. According to The Financial Times, the delay of the report, which was set to consider the introduction of an online sales tax, comes as the chancellor…
Read More » -
8 FebruaryBusiness
Usdaw calls for ‘level playing field’ between shops and online retailers
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) has urged the government to create a “level playing field” between high streets and online retail. To support shops, and the communities they serve, the union has suggested the government should implement “fundamental business rates reform”. The organisation revealed that from analysis…
Read More » -
Jan- 2021 -26 JanuaryRetailers
Footfall rises for the first time since Christmas
Footfall rose by 9% across all UK retail destinations last week for the first time since the Christmas trading period. According to figures published by Springboard, the week ending on 25 January saw footfall rise by 10.9% in high streets, 9.2% in shopping centres and 4.5% in retail parks. It…
Read More » -
22 JanuaryManufacturers
Demand for quality pet food on the rise, says European Freeze Dry
A surge in pet ownership has led to more owners demanding quality pet food, developers at European Freeze Dry reveal. According to the company, customers are turning in large numbers from standard pet food ingredients to alternatives such as the seafood hoki. Sarah Lacey, who leads the pet food development…
Read More » -
12 JanuaryCurrent Affairs
British retailers suffer worst year on record, BRC reveals
British retailers suffered one of the worst years on record for sales growth, a new study by KPMG and BRC reveals. According to the pair’s ‘retail monitor’, total sales declined 0.3% compared with 2019. Sales on non-food items such as clothing also witnessed a 5.0% dip, due to national lockdowns…
Read More » -
4 JanuaryIndustry News
Sniffers Pet Care invest £20k to improve its digital offering
Sniffers Pet Care has announced that it has invested £20,000 in its digital offering as part of a “pledge to support the independent pet trade”. The brand which distributes a wide range of products to around 700 pet care stores across the UK, including Pets At Home said that since…
Read More » -
Dec- 2020 -15 DecemberIndustry News
Burns Pet Nutrition opens fifth store
Burns Pet Nutrition has announced the opening of a new store in Llandeilo, Wales this month. The store is the fifth outlet to date for the pet food brand, and sells a variety of pet goods such as food, toys, and accessories. The new site also features a bespoke health…
Read More » -
Nov- 2020 -17 NovemberIndustry News
Lockdown footfall more resilient than in March
Footfall across UK retail destinations showed signs of resilience when compared with the first national lockdown last week, with footfall 57.7% lower than the same week in 2019, according to the latest figures from Springboard. Springboard said this is “demonstrably more resilient” than it was in the first complete week…
Read More »
