Elen Lewis talks to Luke Mayhew, Chairman of Pets at Home about driving growth, learning from John Lewis and bunny buggies
Pets at Home is one of the UK's fastest growing businesses, what's the key to your growth?
Customers continue to like what we offer. We have a great concept and brand values. These underpin innovative product ranges and excellent colleagues. There are also many growth opportunities available including new shops, multi-channel and marketing, all of which are being pursued actively.
What lessons from your time at John Lewis have you applied to Pets at Home?
If you have a strong and fast-moving management team and enough passion across the business you are more than half way there. At John Lewis we were right to hold back on significant above-the-line marketing until the proposition and offer was one customers would see was better. Pets at Home is now ready to spread its wings too.
Why do customers visit Pets at Home rather than an independent retailer down their street?
Customers choose most shops because of product range, price, service, experience and convenience. Pets at Home tries hard to win on all these fronts as well as being part of the local community, with strong links to animal adoption centres for instance.
What's the best decision you've ever made?
In the past few years it has to be the decision to look for chairman and directorship roles. I really enjoy the variety and learning they bring.
And the worst?
Further back - launching a venture in the travel sector that forgot that, however good the service, there is only a certain premium customers will pay and you ignore costs at your peril.
What's the most valuable marketing lesson you picked up in your career?
Consumer service businesses are transparent. If your marketing does not reflect what the people in the business actually deliver or realistically can aspire to, you will be found out.
How do you ensure your employees reflect your brand?
If there is a major dissonance between your brand and your people you can either fall back on 'change the people' or rethink your brand positioning. I have been fortunate that the employees of both Pets at Home and John Lewis are fantastic people who have a passion for what they do. It allows you to build the brand confidently around them and what they stand for.
What's the biggest challenge facing retailers over the next year?
Maintaining or growing footfall. There will still be good opportunities to grow business and profit but I expect overall footfall to be weak. Most retailers are demoralising places without footfall - and normally not very profitable.
How do you ensure Pets at Home remains relevant to its customer?
The team are great at listening to customers and shop floor colleagues, caring about pets and being out in the shops a lot. It is not a bad place to start. You can then top it up with research.
What's the most eccentric item you sell?
I will quickly bypass the litter kwitter that enables you to train cats to use a human loo instead of a litter tray and settle on the push chair, which people use for small dogs and rabbits!
Luke Mayhew is joining a stellar line-up of speakers at this year's Retail Forum on 20 May. A full transcript of this interview is available in the Read section of the website.