Pet shop
Introduction
So you've decided you want to run a pet shop. Maybe you have been working in a pet shop and feel the time is right to go it alone or maybe you want to turn a lifelong interest into a business. Whatever the reason, this guide will take you through the issues you need to consider and give you practical pointers on getting started.
Sector trends
The launch of two large chains of pet superstores in the 1990s, Pet City (which became PetsMart) and Pets at Home, led to a shake-up of the industry. For many years the small local pet shop had been more or less unopposed - suddenly there was a new and very important source of competition. It's no coincidence that the number of small local pet shops began to fall during the 1990s, even though pet owners were spending more and more money on their animals every year.
The superstores moved away from the 'small and smelly' image of the pet shop and popularised ranges of exciting new products. Pet owners can now buy almost anything for their animals, from special perfume to homeopathic medicines!
Pets at Home went on to buy out PetsMart, creating a single - and very successful - retail giant with around 250 large stores throughout the UK.
E-commerce has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity in recent years. More and more people go online to buy things like pet accessories, and the leading pet retailers all have their own e-commerce websites. New rules were introduced in 2010 to prevent unlicensed online retailers selling veterinary medicines over the internet - all such retailers must be registered with and approved by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
Pet owners themselves changed during the 1990s and 2000s too. Although the dog is still very popular as a pet, there has been a trend towards owning 'lazy' pets - ones which don't need walking, need less feeding and can be left alone for longer periods. These include everything from cats to exotic pets like reptiles, spiders and insects. Recent years have seen pet owners spend more and more money on pampering their pets. Pet healthcare and wellbeing have also become very important to owners.
Prices have been held down by strong competition and have not kept up with inflation in recent years. The economic downturn of the late 2000s and early 2010s made it difficult for some animal owners to afford to spend large sums on their pets. In a small number of cases, owners abandoned their animals simply because they couldn't afford to keep them.
Low prices, strong competition from large pet superstores and internet retailers - and from the supermarkets - have made things quite tough for the small local pet shop, particularly those that have failed to move with the times by doing things like setting up a website. Nevertheless, it seems unlikely for now that the giant superstores will corner the market completely - there are still opportunities for smartly run local pet shops to win customers by offering sound, friendly advice and good quality products.
Recent animal welfare legislation set a minimum age limit of 16 years for anyone buying an animal from a pet shop. In April 2010 the government introduced welfare codes of practice for owners and keepers (including pet shops and breeders) of dogs, cats, horses and certain other animals to help them meet the requirements of animal welfare legislation.
Joining a trade association is a good way of staying in touch with the latest developments. The Pet Care Trust is a registered charity providing information and training for all those involved in the pet care industry.
Subscribing to a trade journal is another excellent way of staying up to date. Pet Product Marketing is a trade journal that contains many features and articles of interest to pet shop owners.
