Two franchise businesses earn nominations ahead of this year’s Pet Industry Federation awards ceremony.
You can’t keep the Darlington & Yarm branch of Petpals out of the news for very long. Only recently they made the headlines for buying back a franchise they had previously sold eight years earlier. And now all of their hard work has been rewarded by being shortlisted for a prestigious industry award.
Darlington & Yarm, owned by the husband and wife team of David and Sallyann Gray, have been nominated in the Pet Service Business of the Year category, at this year’s Pet Industry Federation awards.
But they are not the only Petpals‘ franchise celebrating right now. Sandra and Ray Hipwell of Chislehurst are also hoping to scoop an award at the virtual ceremony which takes place in October. Sandra and Ray are finalists in the New Business of the Year category, one of 16 awards available in 2020.
The Pet Industry Federation was set up more than 70 years ago to represent five pet trade associations. And the annual awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the pet industry, covering a wide range of classes, such as products, services, companies and individuals.
David, from Darlington & Yarm, said: “It is great recognition that we have our business model correct. We have always maintained that to be a good Petpals’ franchise you must not only love animals, but must also know how to run a good business. We are not the biggest Petpals territory in the network, but we do focus very heavily on our staff and business practices. We also work hard to engage with the wider business community at a local level.
“We have recently been instrumental in working with Darlington Borough Council and local businesses, to ensure that Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are applied fairly. We are immensely proud to have had a leading role in the creation of a new working group, which consists of a partnership with the council, to deliver an educational programme for the benefit of all residents. I believe this to be the first of its kind in the UK.”
Ray and Sandra from Chislehurst, on the Greater London-Kent border, only purchased their franchise in 2018, but have quickly turned it into a successful business. Sandra is an accountant while Ray used to work for the London Fire Brigade. And Sandra said: “We are blown away to have reached the finals of the New Business of the Year category. From almost the moment we opened our doors in Chislehurst it has been completely non-stop.
“We had clients making bookings before we got back from delivering our first batch of flyers during launch week. Head office helped us so much in those early days, especially with marketing and advertising advice, and this has played a huge part in helping us reach the final stages of this awards ceremony.
“We won Best Start-Up Franchise at Petpals‘ own conference in 2018 and we were runners-up in the Most Improved Franchise category two years later. We think this reflects our policy of putting pets first every time, and their owners appreciate this. We want owners to enjoy a really positive experience when we look after their pets.”
And this service was fully appreciated by clients during the difficult times caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Ray added: “We have many clients who are key workers, and they knew they could rely on us to care for their pets, while they went to work for the NHS at the height of the pandemic. If we’re lucky enough to win this award, we know our clients would be thrilled for us. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can bring the trophy back to Chislehurst.”
Managing director of Petpals, Kevin Thackrah, said: “To have not one but two of our franchisees in the finals is excellent news. It is something we at head office, and across the entire network, are proud of. The two businesses represent both a new and more established franchise, which is good to see. We hope they have benefitted from our support over the past few years. I wish them both well in the finals and look forward to celebrating their success in the near future.”
About: Petpals
Petpals is a franchise organisation with over 50 independently owned businesses which care for pets across the UK. They are full members of the British Franchise Association (BFA) committed to ethical franchising. Among the services offered by their franchisees are professional pet care for animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils and birds. They also offer pet sitting, dog walking, cat visits, home boarding and even have a pet taxi service.
About: Pet Industry Federation
Provide a quality assurance of businesses in the sector. All of its members agree to adhere to their charters, which represent best practice for the different associations.
