// Pets at Home sees group revenue rise 8.8% to £347.5m with growth underpinned by a record number of consumers and “pleasing” volume growth
// In the update, the retailer said Kathryn Imrie has been appointed to the newly created role of chief consumer officer
Pets at Home has upgraded its profits guidance as it hailed record third-quarter revenues thanks to robust demand for its pet food, litter and accessories.
The pet retailer posted like-for-like sales growth of 8.3% in the 12 weeks to 5 January and said trading momentum had continued since then, meaning annual profits will likely top previous guidance.
Retail revenue climbed by 8%, or 7.6% on a like-for-like basis. The pets retailer had a record trading day on 23 December with sales of over £8 million.
As a result, the company now expects pre-tax to be towards the upper end of £126m to £136m, a £5m increase on its previous guidance of £131m.
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Meanwhile, Pets at Home’s vet business grew its revenue by 18% in the period.
It now has a client base of more than 1.7 million, with new registrations averaging 8,000 per week in the quarter.
Pets at Home chief executive Lyssa McGowan said: “Importantly, the quality of our growth remains strong as we continue to grow volumes and attract new consumers through offering compelling value and service, in what remains a challenging inflationary environment.
‘It was particularly pleasing to see our accessories category return to growth, supported by the strong performance in our Christmas range, demonstrating that consumers still want to treat their beloved pets in these challenging times.”
Pets at Home has also said that Kathryn Imrie has been appointed to the newly created role of chief consumer officer.
Imrie previously held the same role at Sky Deutschland where she helped lead the repositioning of the consumer business.
McGowan added: “I am also delighted to welcome Kathryn Imrie as our new chief consumer officer. She will play a key role in the next stage of our journey in building a consumer-focused, omnichannel, pet care platform.”
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