Pets at Home launches first TV ad campaign to raise its profile

The pets retailer has upped its marketing spend 50% for this financial year and has invested in a the TV ad campaign that will launch in mid-October.

Pets at Home chief executive Matt Davies said: “We want to tell people we exist and communicate our strong offering. There’s never been a better time to do a TV ad – rates have come right down and people are spending more time at home and watching more TV.”

The 40-second ad will run for five weeks and Davies said if successful, the retailer will launch another ad campaign in February.

Pets at Home marketing director Breffni Walsh said: “We want to bring the brand to life.”

The ad will run across ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and some satellite channels.

The 239-store retailer is also preparing for the opening of a new flagship store in Raynes Park, south London. The 30,000 sq ft store will open in December – an average Pets at Home store is 9,000 sq ft.

Davies said the store will have a similar feel to the present flagship in Stockport, Cheshire. The store’s Reef Tank will hold 10 tons of water, making it one of the largest tanks excluding public aquariums in the UK.

Davies added: “I said this about the Stockport store, but this new store will really be the best pet store in the world.”

➤ The administrator of Acorn Pet Centres, which fell into administration last week, said it has received “strong interest” in the business. Tenon Recovery said it has received more than 25 enquiries, ranging from local entrepreneurs to national and specialist retailers. 

Tenon Recovery closed 11 of the retailer’s 36 stores when it hit the wall saying that the business had expanded too quickly.