Petstop founder and Wildove receive awards

The PET worldwide awards, presented by Petco, were handed out during the festive WOW Night on 13 October, the first evening of the International Pet Conference 2026 in Copenhagen. The awards recognised the ‛Best Newcomer of the Year̕̕ and the ‛Personality of the Year̕.

Polish start-up Wildove received the PET worldwide Best Newcomer Award for Joy&Toy! The company beat four other young businesses that presented themselves on stage at the conference in a series of elevator pitches.

According to the company, Joy&Toy! is the world's first surprise egg containing treats for dogs and cats. Protected by international patents, the product combines high-quality meat snacks, toys and activities. To date, Joy&Toy! has sold more than one million units across 16 countries and is working to establish an international brand designed to bring joy, fun and variety to pets and their owners.

The ‛Personality of the Year   award went to Petstop founder Anthony Gallagher. The youngest of ten children from a working-class family, he began his career sweeping floors at clothing retailer Penneys, known outside Ireland as Primark. In 1995, he opened his first Petstop store in Dublin and quickly expanded the business.

But, as with most great success stories, a major setback followed. After the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, a multimillion-euro sale fell through, leaving Gallagher with debts of around EUR 5 million. He fought his way back and built Petstop into Ireland's largest independent pet retail chain, which today operates 15 stores and generates annual turnover of around EUR 40 million.