Jollyes to accelerate growth after successful year
Pet retailer Jollyes has unveiled plans to accelerate growth by opening up to 20 new stores over the next 18 months through new leases and the acquisition of smaller retailers.
The move will create 150 jobs.
The retailer will also be investing in its product ranges, marketing and staff as it looks to reinforce its brand proposition as ‘The Pet People’.
In its first quarter ending 29 August, Jollyes increased its like-for-like sales by 21% on the the same period in 2019. While all regions in the UK achieved double digit growth, the sales performance was particularly strong in Northern Ireland. Looking at the 12 months to May 2021, revenue climbed by 13% to £77 million on the previous year.
During the year, Jollyes saw its customer visits rise by 13% as it benefited from the introduction of its Pet Club scheme and new services such as dog grooming through its growing network of spas.
Richard Cotter, executive chairman of Jollyes, said: “While remaining open throughout the pandemic to serve pet lovers has not been easy because of the added cost and complexity, our people have more than risen to the challenge, and we’ve enjoyed a very successful year with sensational progress.”
Jollyes has also seen Joe Wykes join the team this month as chief operating officer after two years in the same role at Bensons for Beds. In addition, Sean Norris, who has worked with Jollyes for two years, will become chief customer officer, while Phil Turner-Naylor will join the business as head of marketing as part of Norris’s team.
Cotter added: “We’re excited about our future – we’ve worked hard to build a strong platform that will allow us to do much more – new and better stores, wider ranges and further investment in our people as we bring their passion for pets to more communities across the UK.”
