Pets Corner: expanding wings in Europe and the US
The British retailer shares more details about its expansion strategy with GlobalPETS.
Under its parent company, Pet Family, Pets Corner has been expanding across Europe and the US. The firm currently operates 150 locations in the United Kingdom.
One of the latest developments was purchasing 30% of Belgian retailer Cats and Dogs. “We did some research in a number of European countries, and we’ve identified some acquisition potentials,” shares CEO Dean Richmond in an interview with GlobalPETS.
Richmond confirms that the Belgian retailer will keep its own identity and name. The idea is that Pets Corner will influence Cats and Dogs but still operate independently.
Cats & Dogs was founded by Kevin Massart and his mother, Brigitte Pettens, 2 decades ago. They currently have 7 stores in the Antwerp region. Pets Corner hopes to open 20 stores in Belgium over the next 5 years with the new partnership.
More EU partnerships on the way?
Pets Corner is open to creating more partnerships with other European retailers. But Richmond advises, “We would rather wait for the right partner to work with than force ourselves into a country where perhaps we didn’t have the right partner.”
He also shares that they will be announcing the acquisition of a North England-based company next month.
The Pet Family group expects to generate £170M (€198.7M/$214.5M) in sales by the end of 2023.
US expansion
The British retailer recently reached an agreement with American pet retailer Kriser’s Natural Pet to expand its footprint in North America, a market where it already sells its products to independent stores.
The first opening will be in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the state will remain the focus for the coming years.
“We target customers who don’t just think about price when they shop, we pick customers who care about the provenance [of materials], welfare of animals and quality of products,” Richmond points out.