Pets at Home has unveiled a new ‘store of the future’ concept with plans for even more

The petcare retailer says the new or refurbished stores will house the brand’s latest new retail concepts and trials, and will act as test beds for new store openings and improvements across its store estate. 

The Brentford Pet Care Centre, which opens today, represents a £1m investment to make the store bigger, more modern and offer a wider range of services. 

The unit has been expanded from 9,000 sq ft to 14,000 sq ft, and now features an increased range of fresh, frozen and raw pet food in a ’Nutrition Hub’; interactive screens for shoppers with a range of features including the ability to design a fish tank; a bigger health care cente for pets; designated consultation areas and more. 

Brentford is the second ‘store of the future’ concept Pets at Home has opened this summer – the first is in Hull – and it plans to open two more concepts in Kettering and New Malden later this year. 

The retailer said the new concept stores would “bring the full Pets at Home ecosystem to life in one place” and are being trialled across a number of different store formats, from small store to flagship. 

Pets at Home chief consumer officer Kathryn Imrie said: “The opening of our brilliant new-look Brentford pet care centre represents a strategic milestone for Pets at Home as we continue to build the world’s best pet care platform. Brentford seamlessly connects the Pets ecosystem, providing a fully integrated pet care experience and really bringing to life the benefits of being part of the Pets Club.

“We are committed to always innovating the way in which we deliver products, services, guidance, value and convenience to meet the needs of pet owners at every stage of their pets’ lives, and our investment in Brentford reflects our ongoing commitment to the consumer experience, which will help to inform our future store strategy.”