New Pets at Home shop opens its doors in town

Mayor Alan Symmonds cuts the ribbon at Alnwicks Pets at Home store. He is pictured with staff members. Picture by Jim Gibson

Alnwick's new Pets at Home store was officially opened on Friday by town Mayor Alan Symmonds.

The shop, on Willowburn Retail Park, has created 14 full and part-time jobs and features thousands of dedicated pet and wildlife products.

The 9,000 sq ft store has a pet village, an aquatics centre and a Groom Room which provides a range of services, including microchipping, nail clipping, hair trims or a full bath and blow dry.

It is also home to an Adoption Centre, run by independent charity SAFP, where pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and other small animals are cared for until a new loving home can be found.

All colleagues at the store have received extensive training on pet care and pet knowledge, which is endorsed by City & Guilds.

Reflecting on the official launch and the first few days, store manager Anthony Griffiths said: “What a fantastic start. Our opening weekend went even better than we had hoped and it was great to welcome the Mayor to the store.”

As part of the launch, the company ran a competition to find a Young Pet Champion.

The winner was Maisie Butroid, from Alnwick. The six-year-old has numerous animals. She will receive a morning’s in-store work experience, plus £100 of vouchers.