Pet Gazette April 2019 | Page 3

EDITOR’S LETTER | PET GAZETTE | 3 MEET THE EXPERTS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MONTH’S ISSUE Nigel Baker is chief executive of the Pet Industry Federation (PIF). He joined the PIF in 2012 and has more than 30 years’ experience in the pet trade. Nigel has considerable commercial experience from the senior positions he has held in pet food manufacturing and supplier companies. EDITOR’S LETTER A number of sectors are currently or have recently been under John Courteney-Smith MRSB is the bird and reptile manager for Arcadia Products and a full member of the Royal Society of Biology. He believes that we still have much to learn from the wild and has a passionate dedication to ever increasing animal welfare. His aim is to start a ‘revolution in exotic pet care’. investigation by regulators and government bodies in a bid to Caroline Offord has worked in the RSPB Communications Department for over ten years and has spent her working life in the conservation/environmental sector. She enjoys being outside in nature and since becoming a mum to two boys is passionate about getting them outdoors to enjoy and experience wildlife and the natural world. as in some parts of the country, certain vet practices have at Nicole Paley is the communications manager at the PFMA and has worked in the pet food industry for over ten years. Liaising with the PFMA’s team of industry and veterinary nutrition experts, Nicole writes on a range of subjects from pet nutrition to industry trends and developments. the launch of its new trade show, Petindex, which will see its make the playing fi eld fairer to the businesses which operate within them. We have seen the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy call for the Big Four audit fi rms to be split and the pricing strategy of the funeral trade go under scrutiny. With this in mind, competition consultancy Aldwych Partners asks whether the veterinary sector could be next in line for a market investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority least 25% market share. Read more about this on page 28. Speaking of market share, Nicola Ravensford gives tips on how retailers can stay ahead of the curve when choosing which trends to invest in to make sure their customers continue to purchase at their stores. See what she has to say on page 34. In this issue, PIF also shares the details and reasoning behind fi rst event take place next year. Find out what Nigel Baker says about this on page 13. We also focus on pet food in this issue and what some of the companies in the sector have to offer - see the products which are on the market on page 31. I hope you enjoy this issue. Shekina Shekina Tuahene, Online editor www.petgazette.biz April 2019