The UK market leader

The UK pet retail chain Pets at Home increased its total group sales by 5.8 per cent year-on-year to GBP 319.4 mio in the last 12 weeks of last year. On a like-for-like basis, group sales increased by 8.7 per cent, and by as much as 28.1 per cent on a two-year basis. In retail, Pets at Home grew by 9.8 per cent.
The company grew particularly strongly in the omnichannel sphere, by 16.7 per cent or 99.3 per cent on a two-year basis. The share of total retail sales thus amounted to 15.9 per cent and increased by one per cent compared to the same period last year. Two years ago, the share was 10.3 per cent in the same period of the last 12 weeks of the year. LFL sales growth for the company's Vet Group was reported by Pets at Home at 4 per cent, with a two-year increase of 23.3 per cent. New client registrations at First Opinion veterinary practices averaged about 9 200 per week in the year to date, compared with around 9 000 in the same period last year.
"We now expect the group's full year adjusted pre-tax profit to be at least GBP 140 mio in 2022," Pets at Home highlighted in its report.

At the beginning of November last year, Pets at Home announced that CEO Peter Pritchard would step down from his role as chief executive officer and director of the company next summer. He has been with Pets at Home for eleven years. "This follows the successful turnaround of the company in which he developed and implemented the group's strategy in the pet care sphere to achieve the goal of becoming the best pet care company in the world," states Pets at Home in addition. Peter Pritchard will remain in post as CEO until the end of May to oversee the presentation of the group's interim results for 2022 to the investors and to ensure a smooth transition to his successor. The search for a suitable successor among internal and external candidates has now commenced.

Two new pet centres (Brighton and Guildford) were added in the last 12 weeks of the year, bringing the total number of sites to 455. In Brighton, the company aims to trial a range of sustainability initiatives, including strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce waste and save water. A grooming salon is also incorporated into the store. Next spring, a Vets4Pets surgery will open in the pet care centre.