Pets At Home says it has seen ‘exceptional levels of demand’ throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus is understood to have originated from Wuhan, China in December 2019. Since then it has spread globally, killing around 120,000 people and causing lockdowns in countries around the world.
Pets At Home – which supplies companion animal food and accessories, as well as selling animals – is designated as an ‘essential retailer’ and has therefore been permitted to stay open during the lockdown, though it has shut down non-essential services including animal grooming.
‘Exceptional levels of demand’
According to the BBC, at the end of last month, Pets At Home described levels of demand as ‘exceptional’, and said annual profits would therefore be higher than expected.
The retailer added that the spike in sales shows the ‘increasingly vital role’ companion animals play in our lives.
CEO Peter Pritchard said he was ‘extremely grateful’ that the company’s ‘colleagues and operations have shown such resilience and flexibility to meet the recent exceptional level of demand from both existing and new customers’.