The guest speaker at February’s Club Dinner was Peter Pritchard, CEO of Pets At Home – the business that set up its first shop – here in Chester! – in 1991 and has grown to be the pet-related industry’s market leader with 450 stores nationwide with a market value close to £1 billion.
Pritchard, who has over 300 years’ experience in the Retail sector – previously at M&S, Sainsbury’s, Iceland, Asda and Wilkinson – and has been with Pets At Home since 2011, initially as Commercial Director, then Chief Operating Officer before becoming CEO in 2018. A Liverpudlian, he has overseen the firm’s development into a £1 billion business, as a one-stop shop for pet food, toys, equipment and insurance, plus small animals, fish and reptiles, as well as vet clinic and grooming areas. It has 700,000 customers who pay £4 a month for repeat treatments for their pets – and there are even in-store dog birthday parties!