6
| PET GAZETTE | TRADE TALK
PETS AT HOME’S YORK STORES RAISE £50,000 FOR CHARITY
The chain’s two York stores each hosted a raffle along with volunteer collections and other fundraising events
Pets at Home’s two York stores have raised
£50,000 for the RSPCA through hosting
volunteer collections, a £1 raffle and other
fundraising events.
The RSPCA will use the money raised
to help rescue, rehabilitate and rehome
animals in need. Just last month the retailer
partnered with the Alzheimer’s Society to
make its stores “dementia-friendly”.
Gemma Barras, store manager at York
Pets at Home, said: “We are so grateful to
all our generous customers for taking part
and donating much needed funds.”
Sarah Colberg, partnership manager for
the RSPCA, added: “Our 24 hour helpline
receives a call on average every 30
seconds and last year alone we received
over one million calls and rescued over
114,000 animals. We are only able to be
there for animals in need due to generous
donations and support so thank you to
everyone for getting involved.”
SCRUMBLES SECURES £150,000 INVESTMENT
The new funding comes through the SEIS scheme which is aimed at supporting small businesses
Independent pet food
manufacturer, Scrumbles has
raised more than £150,000 in
equity funding through the SEIS
scheme, aimed at supporting
small businesses.
Founded by husband and
wife, Jack Walker and Aneisha
Soobroyen, Scrumbles’ range
of dog and cat food is already
stocked in Ocado and Fetch.
co.uk. It is hoped that the
investment will help them to
develop their brand and its
distribution with independent
and major retailers.
Walker said: “We’re chuffed
to bits about securing this
investment that gives us the
ammunition we need to get
the Scrumbles name out there.
“We know we have an incredible product
and now we have the means to get it to
passionate pet parents across the country.
The funds also allow us to continue to
expand our product offering in line with the
ambitious social and environmental targets
we’ve set ourselves.”
Soobroyen added: “We’re cat and dog
lovers, so when we were buying food for
our own pets, we were getting pretty pissed
off at how unhealthy, expensive or just plain
bad a lot of the pet food on the shelves was.
“Scrumbles is our way of helping pet
owners like us ensure that their furry friends
can enjoy delicious, natural meals that keep
them healthy and happy, inside and out. This
investment will help us amplify our brand
and mission to cat and dog parents up and
down the UK.”
TAILS.COM APPOINTS CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER
Lai-Ping Lai has previously worked at eBay, Skype, Zoopla and The Guardian
Tailored dog-food brand, Tails.com has
appointed Lai-Ping Lai as its new chief
product officer.
Lai, who joined the company in October
2018, will report to CEO James Davidson
and lead the 18 strong tech and digital
product teams at the Tails.com HQ in
Richmond.
She joins having led high performing
product management, product design
and technology teams at some of the UK’s
leading industry organisations including
eBay, Skype, Zoopla and The Guardian.
Lai will be helping to continually innovate
the Tails.com digital product, working
closely with the CX team to respond
www.petgazette.biz
effectively to customer feedback whilst
harnessing innovation in technology and
manufacturing to offer the best product and
service for pet owners.
Since launching in 2014, the direct-to-
consumer brand has seen rapid growth.
The business currently feeds over 100,000
dogs in the UK and delivers more than six
million bespoke meals each month.
Lai said: “I am delighted to join the team.
As well as having created a leading tailored
dog- food product, tails.com offer an
unrivalled service to pet owners that helps
them make the right nutritional choices for
their dog.
“Tails.com were early to identify changes
in the way consumers want to shop
and care for their pets, and married
digital technology, food innovation and
advanced manufacturing techniques to
offer a customised nutrition service that is
changing the world of pet food for good.
“I am excited to be part of the growing team
and to build the business to reach even
more dogs and owners.”
December 2018