Pets at Home appoints former Waitrose managing director as chief executive
Pets at Home Group has appointed former Waitrose managing director James Bailey as its new chief executive, with effect from 30 March.
He led Waitrose for more than five years until September 2025, during which time he was credited with driving strong sales and profit growth. He also oversaw the relaunch of Waitrose.com following the supermarket’s move away from the Ocado platform.
Before joining Waitrose, Bailey spent over 20 years at Sainsbury’s where he held a number of senior positions including grocery buying director.
The appointment follows Ian Burke’s move into the role of executive chair at Pets at Home Group on 18 September, a position he took on while the business searched for a permanent chief executive. Burke will revert to his role as non-executive chair once Bailey joins the group.
Burke said: “Following an extensive search process, the board believes James’ experience aligns well with the group’s ambitions for the coming years.
“His strong retail leadership skills will support the ongoing focus on improving Pets at Home’s retail business, with significant operational and commercial experience leading both stores and online operations. My board colleagues and I very much look forward to working with him.”
Bailey said: “I’m delighted to be joining Pets at Home, it’s a business I’ve admired for a long time and one I believe has a very bright future. I look forward to working with the board and to meeting and working with all of the Pets colleagues and partners.”
