Two Petpals franchisees are celebrating reaching the finals of the national Pet Industry Federation awards.
With roots that go back to the late 1940’s the Pet Industry Federation represents five specialist pet trade associations. They provide a quality assurance of businesses in the sector, with all members agreeing to adhere to their charters, which represent best practice for the different associations.
The awards celebrate success across a wide range of products, services, companies and individuals and provide a platform to recognise excellence and innovation in the pet industry.
Of the 16 award categories available to enter, Petpals Darlington & Yarm, owned by David and Sallyann Gray, reached the finals of the ‘Pet Service Business of the Year’ category and Petpals Chislehurst, owned by Sandra and Ray Hipwell are finalists in the ‘New Business of the Year’ category.
Petpals is a franchise organisation with over 50 independently owned businesses, caring for pets across the UK and is full member of the British Franchise Association.
David and Sallyann Gray commented:
‘We are proud to have reached the finals of these national awards. It is great recognition that we have our business model correct and are providing the quality and professionalism that we strive to achieve every day. We have always maintained that to be good Petpals franchisees you must not only love animals, but you 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, which has helped us become one of the most successful.
‘We also work hard to engage with the wider business community on a local level. We have recently been instrumental in working with Darlington Borough Council and local businesses, to ensure the PSPO’s (Public Space Protection Orders) are applied fairly and we are immensely proud to have had a leading role in the creation of a new working group – a partnership with the council, to deliver an educational programme for the benefit of all residents, in what is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.’
Petpals Chislehurst is owned by Ray and Sandra Hipwell. Sandra is an accountant and Ray was previously a driver trainer for the London Fire Brigade. They bought their franchise in late 2018 which they run together.
‘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 at Petpals Chislehurst it has been completely non-stop. We had clients making bookings before we got back from delivering our first batch of flyers during our launch week with the Petpals regional support manager! Head office helped us so much in those early days, guiding us through the launch with marketing and advertising advice that we simply didn’t know about.
‘We were delighted to win ‘Best Start-Up Franchise’ at the 2018 Petpals conference and runner-up in the ‘Most Improved Franchise Performer’ in 2020. Although we’ve been asked many times, we don’t think there is a ‘secret’ to our success, we simply put the pets first every time and their owners appreciate this. It is important to us that every time we visit a cat or small animal or walk or board a dog, they have a really positive experience.
‘We have many clients who are key workers, who we kept walking for during the Corona Virus pandemic. These clients knew they could rely on us to care for their pets, as their own, while they went to work for the NHS at the height of the pandemic; we believe it is this kind of dedication and professionalism that sets us apart from our competitors. If we were lucky enough to win the award we know our clients would be thrilled for us, it would be the icing on the cake after a spectacular start and we’re crossing all our fingers we can bring the trophy home for Petpals Chislehurst.’
MD of Petpals Kevin Thackrah said:
‘To have not one but two of our franchisees in the finals of these prestigious national awards is excellent news and something we at head office, and indeed across the entire network, are very proud of. It is notable that they represent both a new and more established franchise which is good to see. People are never just a number at Petpals, they are part of the Petpals family and we support them all in just the same way both from our highly experienced staff at head office, to our supportive network of 50+ franchisees. I wish them both well in the finals and look forward to celebrating their success in the near future.’
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David and Sallyann Gray, owners of Petpals Darlington and Yarm, one of the most successful franchises in the Petpals network and winners of the Top Franchise award in 2019 Petpals internal awards, have recently expanded their pet care empire, acquiring Petpals Stockton, which they had previously sold eight years ago. The couple who currently employ over 20 staff, will now have territories that cover over 100 square miles from the west of Darlington to the east of Stockton on Tees. The new territory, Petpals Stockton, will be offering the full range of Petpals pet care services, including dog walking and boarding, cat visits and small animal visits and boarding. Owner David said, ‘We had previously sold Petpals Stockton to Christine Duncan back in 2012 so we could focus more on Darlington and Yarm; lockdown gave Sal and I time to reflect on our business and both firmly decided we wanted to expand, so when Christine mentioned she was ready to sell the territory, it seemed the obvious answer to buy it and bring it back into the family.’ Talking about the hand-over Sallyann said, ‘It has been great getting back in touch with some of our old clients who we left with the business eight years ago and who are still clients today. We are hoping for a fairly seamless transition as Christine is going to remain as our dog walking manager, along with her two members of staff who are currently on flexible furlough.’ Commenting on the challenges of the past five months of the Corona Virus pandemic David said, ‘This has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging times of our business lives but despite everyone’s business levels being down, we’ve continued to take on new clients every month and are optimistic that we’ll be back to full strength soon. We have established strict protocols regarding caring for pets safely during the pandemic, from basic hygiene measures to hand over and collection systems. We leave nothing to chance and want to reassure people that we take the health of our clients, staff and pets extremely seriously.’ Sallyann said, ‘Being part of a franchise has really helped us weather the COVID-19 storm. The support we received from Head Office during lockdown was great, keeping us informed about latest guidance from DEFRA and the Government and guiding us through the financial support options available plus, just having the ability to pick up the phone to one of our fellow Petpals franchisees, to discuss routes forward, furloughing staff, or simply to offload and have a chat helped us both enormously; it would have been tough to go it alone.’ MD of Petpals Kevin Thackrah said, ‘David and Sallyann are a great example to all franchisees. They are 100% committed to their staff, their clients, the pets and ultimately, their business. They are wonderful ambassadors for the Petpals brand and are unfailingly generous in their support of everyone in the network, sharing their knowledge with everyone. ‘COVID-19 has indeed been a very challenging time for many but as ever David and Sallyann have taken it in their stride, adapting and amending as we all learn to work with this ‘new normal’, a true reflection of their professionalism.’
David and Sallyann Gray, owners of Petpals Darlington and Yarm, one of the most successful franchises in the Petpals network and winners of the Top Franchise award in 2019 Petpals internal awards, have recently expanded their pet care empire, acquiring Petpals Stockton, which they had previously sold eight years ago.
The couple who currently employ over 20 staff, will now have territories that cover over 100 square miles from the west of Darlington to the east of Stockton on Tees. The new territory, Petpals Stockton, will be offering the full range of Petpals pet care services, including dog walking and boarding, cat visits and small animal visits and boarding.
Owner David said,
‘We had previously sold Petpals Stockton to Christine Duncan back in 2012 so we could focus more on Darlington and Yarm; lockdown gave Sal and I time to reflect on our business and both firmly decided we wanted to expand, so when Christine mentioned she was ready to sell the territory, it seemed the obvious answer to buy it and bring it back into the family.’
Talking about the hand-over Sallyann said,
‘It has been great getting back in touch with some of our old clients who we left with the business eight years ago and who are still clients today. We are hoping for a fairly seamless transition as Christine is going to remain as our dog walking manager, along with her two members of staff who are currently on flexible furlough.’
Commenting on the challenges of the past five months of the Corona Virus pandemic David said,
‘This has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging times of our business lives but despite everyone’s business levels being down, we’ve continued to take on new clients every month and are optimistic that we’ll be back to full strength soon. We have established strict protocols regarding caring for pets safely during the pandemic, from basic hygiene measures to hand over and collection systems. We leave nothing to chance and want to reassure people that we take the health of our clients, staff and pets extremely seriously.’
Sallyann said,
‘Being part of a franchise has really helped us weather the COVID-19 storm. The support we received from Head Office during lockdown was great, keeping us informed about latest guidance from DEFRA and the Government and guiding us through the financial support options available plus, just having the ability to pick up the phone to one of our fellow Petpals franchisees, to discuss routes forward, furloughing staff, or simply to offload and have a chat helped us both enormously; it would have been tough to go it alone.’
MD of Petpals Kevin Thackrah said,
‘David and Sallyann are a great example to all franchisees. They are 100% committed to their staff, their clients, the pets and ultimately, their business. They are wonderful ambassadors for the Petpals brand and are unfailingly generous in their support of everyone in the network, sharing their knowledge with everyone.
‘COVID-19 has indeed been a very challenging time for many but as ever David and Sallyann have taken it in their stride, adapting and amending as we all learn to work with this ‘new normal’, a true reflection of their professionalism.’
Two Petpals businesses are celebrating work anniversaries. Petpals Romsey and Winchester are celebrating their fifth anniversary of caring for pets, while Petpals Darlington are celebrating three members of staff having been with the company for ten years each.
Petpals is a franchise organisation with over 50 independently owned businesses caring for pets across the UK. Petpals is a full member of the British Franchise Association, committed to ethical franchising.
Petpals Romsey and Winchester is owned by husband and wife team Matt and Louise Wilder. Alongside caring for their young family, Matt and Louise spend their days walking dogs and visiting cats and other small pets across their territory. As part of their anniversary they have expanded their business into the Chandler’s Ford and North Baddesley areas.
Matt said, ‘We’d like to thank all our clients for allowing us to look after their furry friends for the past five years and we look forward to more walks, love and cuddles over the next five. We strive hard to always be the best and we think it is our commitment to high standards that sets us apart from the rest.’
Petpals Darlington & Yarm is run by another husband and wife team Sally Ann and David Gray. One of the largest businesses in the Petpals network, the couple, who bought the business over 14 years ago, employ approximately 20 local people to visit over 3,000 pet clients a year across the Darlington and Yarm region.
Recently, they presented Rachael Pattinson, Emma Craggs and Lynn Stevens with bouquets of flowers and promises of a celebratory meal when restaurants reopen, to recognise their tenth anniversaries of working for the pet care business.
Director David Gray said, ‘We feel privileged to have Rachael, Emma and Lynn reach this milestone with us; not only have they been with us for ten years each and been an integral part of the growth of our business, they were also determined to carry on working through the Corona Virus crisis, which we are so grateful for.’
Staff member Rachael said, ‘I love my job, and sometimes don’t even see it as work, I love to be outdoors walking the Petpals pooches.’
Managing director of Petpals, Kevin Thackrah said, ‘Our congratulations to Matt, Louise, Sally Anne, David, Rachael, Emma and Lynn on reaching these anniversaries. We are so proud that these businesses are thriving and have such wonderful, loyal staff. We wish them all well for the future and thank them for their hard work, looking after the nation’s pets.’
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Petpals franchise owners across the UK are successfully completing the Ofqual Level 3 Professional Daycare and Boarding course. This new qualification will enable them to achieve the ‘Higher Standard’ in the Animal Activity Licensing Regulations, updated by DEFRA in 2018. Licensing now requires that to meet the ‘Higher Standard’, a member of staff with a relevant Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, OFQUAL, regulated Level 3 qualification must be present during the working day at the Day Care or Boarding establishment. Petpals Buxton, Sefton, Leeds North, Hendon and Darlington West are now fully qualified and a further 15 franchise owners are currently taking the course and will qualify soon. Sharren Redmond who started up her Sefton Petpals business in November 2018 says, ‘What a great course; I feel so much more confident and professional in running my Petpals business now. It was a huge amount of work requiring large amounts of research, reading and writing but I loved it and am so glad I am now qualified to the Higher Standard for the benefit of my clients and their dogs. I will of course be sharing my new knowledge, passing on the relevant information to my team so we can all benefit from the course.’ She continued, ‘Although I have been a dog owner myself for many years and thought I knew everything there was to know about caring for a dog, the course makes you look at things from a very different perspective. I had to learn about a wide variety of dog care subjects, from what different breeds of dog are like, how they play and interact with other dogs, to warning signs from a behavioural point of view. My customers often ask me ‘why does my dog do xyz..’ and now I can tell them. The course has really sparked my desire to know more and I wouldn’t rule out doing a dog-behaviourist qualification in the future.’ Kevin Thackrah, MD of Petpals said: ‘We are delighted that Sharren, Deborah, Lisa, Mike, Chrissy and Sallyann have completed their Ofqual Level 3 Professional Daycare and Boarding Course qualification. As an industry we are overrun with people starting up dog walking and dog boarding businesses on a whim, with no previous experience or qualifications and we embrace and welcome any and all efforts to raise the standards in our industry. Even before the new regulations, all of our franchises were, and always have been CRB checked, insured and have taken a Dog Handling Skills and Pet First Aid course. We are pleased that Petpals Sefton, Buxton, Leeds North, Hendon and Darlington Wet will now be qualified to the Higher Standard for boarding and dog care, with many others following on in the next few weeks.’
Petpals franchise owners across the UK are successfully completing the Ofqual Level 3 Professional Daycare and Boarding course. This new qualification will enable them to achieve the ‘Higher Standard’ in the Animal Activity Licensing Regulations, updated by DEFRA in 2018.
Licensing now requires that to meet the ‘Higher Standard’, a member of staff with a relevant Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, OFQUAL, regulated Level 3 qualification must be present during the working day at the Day Care or Boarding establishment.
Petpals Buxton, Sefton, Leeds North, Hendon and Darlington West are now fully qualified and a further 15 franchise owners are currently taking the course and will qualify soon.
Sharren Redmond who started up her Sefton Petpals business in November 2018 says,
‘What a great course; I feel so much more confident and professional in running my Petpals business now. It was a huge amount of work requiring large amounts of research, reading and writing but I loved it and am so glad I am now qualified to the Higher Standard for the benefit of my clients and their dogs. I will of course be sharing my new knowledge, passing on the relevant information to my team so we can all benefit from the course.’
She continued,
‘Although I have been a dog owner myself for many years and thought I knew everything there was to know about caring for a dog, the course makes you look at things from a very different perspective. I had to learn about a wide variety of dog care subjects, from what different breeds of dog are like, how they play and interact with other dogs, to warning signs from a behavioural point of view. My customers often ask me ‘why does my dog do xyz..’ and now I can tell them. The course has really sparked my desire to know more and I wouldn’t rule out doing a dog-behaviourist qualification in the future.’
Kevin Thackrah, MD of Petpals said:
‘We are delighted that Sharren, Deborah, Lisa, Mike, Chrissy and Sallyann have completed their Ofqual Level 3 Professional Daycare and Boarding Course qualification. As an industry we are overrun with people starting up dog walking and dog boarding businesses on a whim, with no previous experience or qualifications and we embrace and welcome any and all efforts to raise the standards in our industry. Even before the new regulations, all of our franchises were, and always have been CRB checked, insured and have taken a Dog Handling Skills and Pet First Aid course. We are pleased that Petpals Sefton, Buxton, Leeds North, Hendon and Darlington Wet will now be qualified to the Higher Standard for boarding and dog care, with many others following on in the next few weeks.’
BFA member Petpals, the UK’s largest multi-service pet care franchise, has launched a scheme to make purchasing one of their franchise business easier than ever. Under the new ‘Easy Start’ scheme, anyone buying a Petpals franchise will only be required to pay a fee to cover the costs of initial training and launch marketing, with the remainder of the £12,500 (+VAT) spread over the rest of the franchise term (usually five years). Kevin Thackrah, MD of Petpals explains, ‘At Petpals we have been helping franchisees start up and run their own profitable, sustainable pet care businesses for over 17 years now; with ‘Easy Start’ we’re looking forward to helping more people to join us and to share in the success and strength of the UK pet care market.’ He continued, ‘We fully appreciate that people don’t always have the up-front funds to purchase a franchise and it’s testament to our confidence in our brand and to the potential for success for our new franchisees, that we’re able to offer this new scheme today. I very much hope that anyone who would like to own their own business and to regain control of their working life by doing a job that they love, will visit our website to find out more.’ Petpals franchisees own their own exclusive territories from where they board and walk dogs, visit cats and any other pets while their owners are at work or on holiday. If available, franchisees have the option to purchase additional adjoining territories. Currently 17.5% of franchisees own one or more franchise territories. Petpals are full members of the bfa and are committed to ethical franchising. If you would like more information about the ‘Easy Start’ scheme please request more details here!
BFA member Petpals, the UK’s largest multi-service pet care franchise, has launched a scheme to make purchasing one of their franchise business easier than ever.
Under the new ‘Easy Start’ scheme, anyone buying a Petpals franchise will only be required to pay a fee to cover the costs of initial training and launch marketing, with the remainder of the £12,500 (+VAT) spread over the rest of the franchise term (usually five years).
Kevin Thackrah, MD of Petpals explains,
‘At Petpals we have been helping franchisees start up and run their own profitable, sustainable pet care businesses for over 17 years now; with ‘Easy Start’ we’re looking forward to helping more people to join us and to share in the success and strength of the UK pet care market.’
He continued,
‘We fully appreciate that people don’t always have the up-front funds to purchase a franchise and it’s testament to our confidence in our brand and to the potential for success for our new franchisees, that we’re able to offer this new scheme today. I very much hope that anyone who would like to own their own business and to regain control of their working life by doing a job that they love, will visit our website to find out more.’
Petpals franchisees own their own exclusive territories from where they board and walk dogs, visit cats and any other pets while their owners are at work or on holiday. If available, franchisees have the option to purchase additional adjoining territories. Currently 17.5% of franchisees own one or more franchise territories.
Petpals are full members of the bfa and are committed to ethical franchising.
If you would like more information about the ‘Easy Start’ scheme please request more details here!
A Petpals franchisee is buying their third territory to satisfy an increased demand for their services in Derbyshire. Husband and wife team Dave and Fiona Wallis, who bought their first franchise Petpals Amber Valley in 2007, expanded into Petpals Matlock Belper in 2017 and are now adding Petpals North Erewash to their books, opening in October 2018. Petpals is the largest multi-service pet care franchise in the UK. Members of the bfa since 2001, they have over 50 franchisees offering a full range of pet care services from dog boarding and walking to cat visits and small pet sitting. Commenting on the expansion, Dave, who also races a fully branded Petpals ‘Formula VEE’ racing car at weekends, said, ‘Since our launch in 2007 we have focussed on delivering the very best service to our clients and their pets; this expansion is testament to our team’s hard work and professionalism and the reputation they have worked so hard to achieve, something we are all very proud of. He continued, ‘We found that we were getting enquiries from further and further afield from people wanting us to look after their pets while they were at work or on holiday; it didn’t take long until we realised we had to buy this new territory and expand the business.’ Fiona and Dave are hoping to take on more staff in due course, to cope with the increase in clients. As with all Petpals franchisees, the couple and their son Jay, who also works in the family-run business, are genuine pet-lovers, owning two dogs, a horse and a handful of hens at their Alfreton home. On the benefits of owning a franchise operation Fiona said, ‘We have no doubt that our business has expanded more rapidly because we are part of a franchise operation than it would have had we set up our own. Head office have given us great support from day one; they are always on hand with help and advice plus we have 50+ other franchisees to talk to via our Facebook group, if we don’t know the answer, one of them definitely will! She continued, ‘Being part of a nationally recognised brand is really important to us and as a Petpals franchisee we know that our website is kept regularly updated with fresh content, which in turn means people will find us more easily when they search for a pet carer on the internet. They also run PR and marketing campaigns, all of which means we get to spend more time caring for pets and earning money and less time worrying about websites and SEO, all of which suits us perfectly.’
A Petpals franchisee is buying their third territory to satisfy an increased demand for their services in Derbyshire.
Husband and wife team Dave and Fiona Wallis, who bought their first franchise Petpals Amber Valley in 2007, expanded into Petpals Matlock Belper in 2017 and are now adding Petpals North Erewash to their books, opening in October 2018.
Petpals is the largest multi-service pet care franchise in the UK. Members of the bfa since 2001, they have over 50 franchisees offering a full range of pet care services from dog boarding and walking to cat visits and small pet sitting.
Commenting on the expansion, Dave, who also races a fully branded Petpals ‘Formula VEE’ racing car at weekends, said,
‘Since our launch in 2007 we have focussed on delivering the very best service to our clients and their pets; this expansion is testament to our team’s hard work and professionalism and the reputation they have worked so hard to achieve, something we are all very proud of.
‘We found that we were getting enquiries from further and further afield from people wanting us to look after their pets while they were at work or on holiday; it didn’t take long until we realised we had to buy this new territory and expand the business.’
Fiona and Dave are hoping to take on more staff in due course, to cope with the increase in clients.
As with all Petpals franchisees, the couple and their son Jay, who also works in the family-run business, are genuine pet-lovers, owning two dogs, a horse and a handful of hens at their Alfreton home.
On the benefits of owning a franchise operation Fiona said,
‘We have no doubt that our business has expanded more rapidly because we are part of a franchise operation than it would have had we set up our own. Head office have given us great support from day one; they are always on hand with help and advice plus we have 50+ other franchisees to talk to via our Facebook group, if we don’t know the answer, one of them definitely will!
‘Being part of a nationally recognised brand is really important to us and as a Petpals franchisee we know that our website is kept regularly updated with fresh content, which in turn means people will find us more easily when they search for a pet carer on the internet. They also run PR and marketing campaigns, all of which means we get to spend more time caring for pets and earning money and less time worrying about websites and SEO, all of which suits us perfectly.’
Sarah Richardson owner of Petpals Stockport for the last fourteen years, recently sold her franchise to two former employees.
Sarah (55), bought her Petpals franchise following a long-term, management role with a mail-order company. She left when fluctuating markets found her having to make people redundant on a regular basis, which made her rethink what she really wanted out of life. She convinced her boss to add her to the list of redundancies and, on the advice of a financial advisor, looked at franchising opportunities in the UK. Following intense research via the bfa (British Franchise Association), Sarah used her redundancy money to buy Petpals Stockport in 2003.
Fast forward to 2017 and Sarah has now divided up the business into three new territories and sold Poynton and Stockport East to Ian and Linda Parker and Petpals Stockport and Petpals Cheadle and Bramhall to Claire Hurr.
Sarah explains why she sold the business,
‘Right from the very beginning my plan has always been to build up the business then sell it, so this is simply the final step in the plan. I worked very hard for 14 years, I had built the business up to where I wanted it to be, I’d sacrificed much of my personal life but this is what it was all for, eventual financial freedom and the chance to spend more time doing the things I wanted to do.
‘I had some family issues last year that made me realise time with our loved ones is very precious so that, plus a desire to buy a house with my partner and spend a bit more time together, made the final decision to sell an easy one. I am delighted that my employees were so committed to the business that they wanted to buy it and could see the potential in taking their respective territories to new heights.’
A few years ago Sarah also took on the extra role as northern operations manager for Petpals, using her vast experience to help other franchisees in the north of the country, a role that she will be continuing for the foreseeable future.
National pet care franchise Petpals, recognised their top performing franchisees at the company’s annual franchise conference recently. With over 50 franchisees, Petpals is one of the largest pet-care franchises in the UK. The conference gave franchisees an opportunity to hear from managing director Kevin Thackrah about the overall financial performance of the network and strategic plans for 2017. The company’s public relations and digital analytics agencies also gave presentations on 2016’s PR and social media campaigns and the resulting traffic through to the company’s new website. As part of the conference, franchisees were invited to suggest topics for presentations they would like to hear and subsequently attended a variety of workshops, such as recognising and dealing with aggressive behaviour in dogs, accounting software and the implementation of cloud-based pet care customer relationship management systems. During the conference, Kevin Thackrah announced the names of the top performing franchisees for 2016: Top Performing Franchisees 1. Peter Martin, Petpals Chelmsford, Maldon and Danbury 2. Sallyann and David Gray, Petpals Darlington and Yarm 3. Clare Stafford, Petpals Fleet Fastest Growing Franchises · Nigel Ham and Emma Read, Petpals York · Lisa Smith, Petpals Leeds North · Jean Wilson, Petpals Richmond and Northallerton Kevin Thackrah, managing director of Petpals said, ‘As ever all our franchisees have performed brilliantly but it is only right that we should recognise our top achievers. Many congratulations to all of our award winners for their efforts and we look forward to seeing some more great achievements in 2017.’ He continued, ‘Our annual conference is the highlight of the year for us; not only are we able to give our franchisees facts and figures presentations on the performance of the network, tell them how PR, marketing and social media have affected traffic to their website and give them the chance to attend workshops, specifically designed to help them build and strengthen their businesses, but almost more importantly, it gives them the opportunity to spend an entire weekend with fellow franchisees, building relationships, offering and receiving advice, mutual support, sharing best practice and generally talking ‘shop’, safe in the knowledge that they are not in competition with one another, something most small business owners can only dream of. We are looking forward to a prosperous 2017 with a fully engaged franchise network behind us and a bright future ahead of us.’
National pet care franchise Petpals, recognised their top performing franchisees at the company’s annual franchise conference recently. With over 50 franchisees, Petpals is one of the largest pet-care franchises in the UK.
The conference gave franchisees an opportunity to hear from managing director Kevin Thackrah about the overall financial performance of the network and strategic plans for 2017. The company’s public relations and digital analytics agencies also gave presentations on 2016’s PR and social media campaigns and the resulting traffic through to the company’s new website.
As part of the conference, franchisees were invited to suggest topics for presentations they would like to hear and subsequently attended a variety of workshops, such as recognising and dealing with aggressive behaviour in dogs, accounting software and the implementation of cloud-based pet care customer relationship management systems.
During the conference, Kevin Thackrah announced the names of the top performing franchisees for 2016:
Top Performing Franchisees
1. Peter Martin, Petpals Chelmsford, Maldon and Danbury 2. Sallyann and David Gray, Petpals Darlington and Yarm 3. Clare Stafford, Petpals Fleet
Fastest Growing Franchises
· Nigel Ham and Emma Read, Petpals York · Lisa Smith, Petpals Leeds North · Jean Wilson, Petpals Richmond and Northallerton
Kevin Thackrah, managing director of Petpals said,
‘As ever all our franchisees have performed brilliantly but it is only right that we should recognise our top achievers. Many congratulations to all of our award winners for their efforts and we look forward to seeing some more great achievements in 2017.’
‘Our annual conference is the highlight of the year for us; not only are we able to give our franchisees facts and figures presentations on the performance of the network, tell them how PR, marketing and social media have affected traffic to their website and give them the chance to attend workshops, specifically designed to help them build and strengthen their businesses, but almost more importantly, it gives them the opportunity to spend an entire weekend with fellow franchisees, building relationships, offering and receiving advice, mutual support, sharing best practice and generally talking ‘shop’, safe in the knowledge that they are not in competition with one another, something most small business owners can only dream of. We are looking forward to a prosperous 2017 with a fully engaged franchise network behind us and a bright future ahead of us.’
