Pets at Home has had a furrtastic half-year
Pets at Home has reported a furr-tastic set of interim results this morning, with like-for-like sales growing 2.5 per cent.
The pet business did say recent trading had been weaker than in the first half, but that the profit outlook for 2017 was in line with market expectations.
The figures
Merchandise sales were up 4.7 per cent in the 28 weeks from 1 April to 13 October this year, rising from £362.6m last year to £376.5m this year.
Like-for-like merchandise growth was 1.9 per cent.
The services business jumped 47.6 per cent to £61.9m from £41.9m during the same period last year.
Pets at Home increased its dividend 25 per cent to 2.5p per share.
Why it's interesting
Pets at Home said that the "heart of our business is the emotional bond we have with our customers", and given today's performance, it appears the bond is strong.
With shoppers starting to look for good experiences when going out to stores, Pets at Home is in a strong position. The company said its small animal pet villages are visited by 70 per cent of customers who go to the store. The company hosts pet workshops for children which drew 150,000 people this year.
What Pets at Home said
Ian Kellet, Pets at Home's chief executive, said: "We are pleased that our investment in seamless shopping is delivering results with increased volumes, basket spend and the launch of our first subscription service.
"In a more difficult trading environment, we continue to build Pets at Home for the future and are confident in the long term outlook for our unique offer in the resilient pet market, in particular, the developing potential of our services business as we see it mature and grow."