Earlier this year we announced our intention to host the inaugural National Pet Shop Day, having discovered in our 2023 UK purchasing habits report that over half of respondents (57%) would speak to the vet in order to remedy a pet’s flea issue, despite the majority stating they find their pet shops and pet shops to be ‘knowledgeable’ and with an opinion that could be trusted.
It has always been our opinion that pet shops and stores offer a valuable and unique service on the high street. They are the local health and wellbeing hubs of the pet world, offering direct face-to-face support and advice to pet owners. They share healthcare and product knowledge based on years, sometimes decades, spent caring for our animal companions. These retailers are so much more than just a point of purchase, they are a bed-rock to pet owners – a friendly ear, a trusted confidante, and an experienced advisor.
This is what National Pet Shop Day sought to celebrate. With it, we wanted to mark the ongoing, positive contribution pet shops and stores make within the local community – celebrating their services, knowledge, and experience in supporting the nation’s pet owners.
We also hoped the occasion would encourage pet owners to discover, or in some cases rediscover, the value that local pet shops provide, marking the beginning of a positive, long-term relationship.
Thanks to National Pet Shop Day, we are confident a growing number of owners will now turn to their local pet shop or store, when seeking help or advice about their pet’s health and wellbeing.
Celebrating National Pet Shop Day
On Saturday 13th July, over 200 pet product retailers across the length and breadth of the UK, flung open their doors to mark the first ever National Pet Shop Day.
It saw swathes of pet owners pop along to their local retailer to enjoy the numerous pop-up parties, events, and festivities that occurred – offering them a greater insight into the huge breadth of support, products, services and advice that high street retailers are able to provide direct to those who have concerns about their pet’s health and wellbeing.
Pet shops and stores of all sizes throughout the UK embraced the opportunity to thank their existing customers and encourage in new ones by hosting a range of interactive instore activities including free pet photography, prize draws, discounts, cakes and treats, whilst also testing new products, sampling the service, and speaking to staff members.
Some outlets even used the day to raise funds for other local animal charities, showcasing once again just why the nation’s pet shops and stores are so special, and deserving of a day celebrating the positive contribution that they make within society.
What’s next?
We launched National Pet Shop Day as a way of saying thank you to these businesses for all that they do, and to encourage more pet owners to explore the range of affordable wellbeing support, products and services they have on their doorstep.
It was humbling and incredibly rewarding to see just how much support that this initiative has received from our retailers their local communities. But this isn’t the end of the story.
We are committed to continuing to communicate the many benefits of shopping with specialist pet product retailers, particularly where support is needed for common minor pet healthcare ailments, such as ticks, fleas or general wellbeing issues. And as such, National Pet Shop Day will return in 2025.
We want next year to be even bigger and better than this year and we are already holding important conversations with key influencers and stakeholders about how we will make this happen. But we also need the input of our retailers to make sure that this event continues to be successful and delivers the support they need in order help their businesses to thrive.
We will be launching a survey in the very near future to gather opinions and feedback on National Pet Shop Day in order to inform that planning process. What went well? What can we do more of? How can we boost engagement in future years? These viewpoints are crucial to us, and we would encourage all participating retailers to get involved and have their say.
In the meanwhile, we genuinely appreciate the many messages of support we have received about National Pet Shop Day, and we hope that those who participated in the event found the experience as enlightening, beneficial, and fun as we did. We cannot wait to do it all again!
For more information visit nationalpetshopday.com.
