At a time when countless retailers are facing the pain of ecommerce competitors like Amazon biting chunks out of sales, Pets at Home is managing to keep online players on a tight leash.

The pet specialist recorded an 8.2% jump in retail like-for-likes during the 16 weeks to July 18, while total retail sales climbed 8.7% to £266.4m. Online sales soared 36% to £26m.

Bolstering its impressive figures was revenue from the in-store services it offers. Some 35.5% of the group’s revenue now comes from a combination of its vet practices, pet grooming services, adoption centres and Tailster.com – a dog walking service in which Pets at Home took a 19% stake three days prior to its year-end.