We would consider
- Units with a minimum of 2,000 square feet
- Prominent main road locations
- Freehold or leasehold
- Parking for a minimum of 4 cars
- Preferably located in an area with a high percentage of Acorn Groups 1 and 2 or ABC1
We consistently get fabulous feedback from our customers about the ease of access and great parking facilities we offer so this is a must for new locations. We also want to ensure that we remain true to our environmental policies so wherever possible we will seek buildings that will deliver our high expectations for being eco-friendly and have exceptional environmental ratings. Finally, our clean, well presented stores already stand out from our competitors however we would rather not be right next door to them so only sites that aren’t within close proximity will be considered.
Contact
Simon Forrest,
Property Director
Simon runs our store acquisition programme and is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the property industry. He has been part of the Pets Corner family for 10 years and understands explicitly the factors that contribute to a successful store location. If you have a suggested site please contact Simon who will be able to make a quick, in-principle decision.
Email Simon at simon.forrest@petfamily.co.uk.
Example Shop Location
Acton
This former petrol station and convenience store was in a sorry state of disrepair with unmanaged parking making the site unsuitable to most retailers. We improved the external appearance with particular note being our transformation of the old forecourt canopy. We resurfaced the former forecourt and started a parking management system in collaboration with our neighbour. The location has exceeded our expectations and played an important part in improving the overall street scene in the area.
Amersham
We always thought this building was perfect for us but it was occupied by a car sales company. When it became vacant we were so keen to secure it we took over the lease of the site before we even got retail planning consent. Once we got the right planning consent we upgraded the building, added a Dogwood Grooming Spa, Pet Practice vets and it's now one of our top 10 bests sites in the country.
Blackheath
This is a smaller shop at 1,250 sq ft than we ideally take. However being in an affluent London Borough close to Blackheath common with all its dog walkers convinced us that the site had merit. The attractive shop front was also an important part of our decision-making process and we set about overcoming the challenges that the smaller footprint of the store gave us. We eked out as much of the back of house space as we could transforming the shop from just over 850 sq ft to 1,250 sq ft. The result is a shop that we are really proud of and we know our customers love it too.
Dorking
Our beautiful Dorking store was home to the former Victorian fire station and subsequently the town's library. After the library closed it remained empty for some time before we breathed new life into the stunning structure. Located just off the high street in an ideal position for passing traffic and close to the charming town centre, it is one of our most successful stores.
Emsworth
This former Co-op convenience store had been vacant for several years since the Co-op moved to a larger site nearby. We completely renovated the building, repairing damaged brickwork, reroofing, replacing rotten shop and window frames amongst a large number of other improvements including re-landscaping the planting beds in front of the property. Our landlords and local residents have complimented the resulting shop which has been a great success since opening.
Newbury
We were alerted to the freehold availability of the vacant and dilapidated Old Bell public house in Newbury. The pub had been closed for about 3 years and there was another pub across the road. This gave us the confidence to purchase the freehold unconditionally and we subsequently submitted a change of use application and partial rebuild application. This way we kept the attractive old Victorian part of the building and were able to demolish the 1960’s poor quality single-storey pub extension. The demolished part was replaced with a slightly larger new structure that was blended into the rest of the property sympathetically. We opened in December 2023 with a shop, dog grooming salon and vets all trading from the site.
Whiteley
Trading on a more traditional shopping centre than most of our stores we saw this shop alongside an M&S food hall and decided that with the shared customer parking immediately outside the shop we could trade successfully here. We had a great opening in the run up to Christmas and the shop continues to trade very well confirming our thinking that the M&S food hall drives both destination and convenience shoppers. Our core business is of a convenience nature and we appeal to a more discerning demographic.