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This week, Critizr hosted the 2022 'Proud of My Store' awards, which brought together stores from across the country, big and small, in celebration for all they've achieved over this last year. It was fantastic to hear the judges feedback for why two of our stores won awards, with Joanne, Assistant Manager at our Rochdale Store, being interviewed live on stage whilst collecting the award. Her store was recognised for their strong teamwork and enthusiasm, living our Pets at Home values, working through challenging times and having a strong community presence. Natasha, Store Manager of our Altrincham store also bagged an award after her store was recognised for colleague appreciation and wellbeing, in-store experience, team morale and customer feedback. We're so proud of both stores for encompassing all of the values we strive to achieve across our business, and already so excited to see who's up for nomination next year! #PetsatHome
On Saturday, our LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies attended Manchester Pride to march for a world where people are free to live and love without prejudice. 🌈 At the Pets at Home Group, we have a dedicated Identity network where colleagues collaborate on initiatives and policies which help our business become more diverse and inclusive. We're so proud of all our colleagues who have attended Pride events this year, and we're already so excited for the next one! 🏳🌈
We’ve recently pledged more than £550,000 to Hearing Dogs For Deaf People – the biggest donation the charity has received from a corporate partner in its 40-year history. The pledge was made by our founded charity, the Pets at Home Foundation as part of its mission to create a better world for pets and the people who love them. It comes following a mega month of fundraising in July from Pets at Home customers and colleagues, which included till-point donations, money raised through special charity summer spa packages in our Groom Rooms, and a sponsored 100-mile cycle from a team of colleagues. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity that professionally trains and provides dogs to support deaf people across the UK, helping them to leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. The highly skilled dogs alert deaf people to important sounds such as the fire alarm, alarm clocks and intruder alarms, and provide love, companionship, and emotional support.
This week we were thrilled to welcome Kim (and her Hearing Dog Bear! 🐶) for the latest instalment of our Inspiring Stories series, hosted for our colleagues. Kim shared her story of how the charity Hearing Dogs For Deaf People helped her get back on her feet again after becoming profoundly deaf and feeling lonely and isolated. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People are our Pets at Home Foundation Summer Fundraiser partners this year, and are a fantastic charity working to train clever dogs to help deaf people leave loneliness behind. Last year, their services supported 3,263 deaf individuals, their family members, and it’s our hope that with our support they can help even more. A huge thank you to Kim for sharing her personal and moving story!
The aim of our small-format stores is to embed themselves within communities, providing a space for local business' to showcase their handmade/exclusive products and engage with local pet lovers. Our Putney Store recently hosted 'Frank & Beans', who produce 'pawsonalised' Pop Art prints of pets. Find out more about their story here: https://lnkd.in/gtC6duEZ We were also visited by 'Mostly Coffee and Dogs' who shared a great write up blog about the event here: https://lnkd.in/gCJYJ3Z7 A special shout out to our wonderful colleague Katriona, and Store Manager Pippa for organising. We're so excited to see what's around the corner!
Recently we hosted the 1st Wooton Beaver Scouts (Rooks) at our South Distribution Centre in Northampton for a session on road safety. The 'Kids in Trucks' session, ran by our Driver Training Manager, Paul Thomson, is the first since Covid-19, and aims to teach children about road safety, particularly in relation to lorries. One of the Beavers, Raeleigh, was the first Beaver in the country to be invested in a truck, and we're so honoured they requested the ceremony to take place in one of ours. Wishing the Beavers the best of luck in their future adventures!
We're delighted to share that we've donated more than £5m to charities helping pets and the people who love them in the year to March 2022. The Pets at Home Foundation, the leading supporter of animal rescue centres in the UK, led a number of fundraising activities across the Group’s stores, Vets4Pets practices and Groom Rooms, including its annual Santa Paws appeal through which customers donate to help feed rescue pets over the festive period. Funds were also donated through our VIP Lifelines Scheme, which enables VIP members to raise Lifelines for their favourite animal charity each time they shop with us. Lifelines are then converted into vouchers for charities to spend in store to help the animals in their care. Thanks to the incredible support and generosity of customers and colleagues, we've donated more than ever before through awards to over 750 organisations, ranging from some of the largest national animal charities through to small, local rescue centres. We are so passionate about giving our support to help these brilliant organisations to continue assisting many more!
Introducing Pets Fest 2022🎉! Last week our support office colleagues got together for the first time in two years to celebrate all our achievements and even meet some familiar faces in-person for the first time! There was something for everyone at our festival themed party and we were so happy to see our colleagues letting their hair down and having some well-deserved fun! Jam packed with food and fizz, we're already so excited for next year's... 🐾 Fancy joining our team in support offices? We've got plenty of vacancies! Just visit: https://lnkd.in/d25nNki9 #PetsatHome
We're pleased to share a recent interview with CIO Online and our Chief Information Officer, William Hewish, where he talks co-creating IT solutions with our store colleagues, blurring the boundaries between physical and digital for a better customer experience, and investing in technology like never before! With colleague collaboration and customer experience at the heart of our digital transformation, we are continuing to build our technology capabilities. We are placing priority on developing our services in-house, using the latest technologies; ensuring our colleagues can learn, innovate, and really shape the future of our business. It's an exciting time to join us, so to find out more about our tech opportunities, visit: https://bit.ly/2TI6HMV and read the full article by clicking here: https://lnkd.in/eazVzZjk
This week we've announced that we've made a strategic investment in Project Blu, a leading eco-conscious supplier of branded pet accessories. The investment supports our ambition to become the most sustainable pet care business in the world and includes a commercial partnership agreement on the design and manufacture of sustainable pet care products. Pets at Home will be the first UK retailer to offer Project Blu’s full product range, available in stores and online at Petsathome.co.uk from early July 2022. The importance of sustainable, purpose driven brands and products has never been clearer and the partnership with Project Blu will enable Pets at Home to meet a growing demand from pet owners for planet first, mindful consumption, with a broad range of environmentally friendly products, helping to drive change across the pet accessories market.
