Jollyes, the pet people, to invest £325,000 and creates jobs in Northern Ireland

The new investment begins on Saturday, December 11 with the opening of a new 6,700 sq ft store at Longwood retail park Newtownabbey

Pet retailer of the year Jollyes has announced plans to invest £325,000 in Northern Ireland to open new stores and support key suppliers across the island of Ireland.

Jollyes, which already has 12 stores in NI making it the country’s leading pet retailer, will begin the new investment on Saturday, December 11, opening a new 6,700 sq ft store at Longwood retail park Newtownabbey to replace its shop at Glengormley.

In a much larger location, the new store at 2 Longwell Road, Newtownabbey will create five new jobs and bring a Pamper & Groom Spa to the town for the first time, a service only currently available at its stores at Belfast and Newry.

In February Jollyes will open for the first time in Cookstown having secured a 5,000 sq ft unit at Sweep Road retail park.

To support its current growth right across the UK, over the next 12 months Jollyes will also be investing significantly in its suppliers form across the island of Ireland.

Jollyes is proud to have a strong NI and RoI supply base for all its 70 stores across the UK and is also planning to step up investment with partners to help support its current growth. It will be working closely with family-owned Mackle Petfoods based in County Armagh on new and extended ranges following the success of Jollyes’ new Lifestage dog food range which has been a hit with customers since its launch earlier this year. All of Mackle meat is sourced from local suppliers where possible and is fully traceable to the farm of origin.

To cater for the increased demand for Frozen pet food, Jollyes will also be building on the relationship with Belfast-based Frozzys to widen availability of its award-winning frozen lickable yoghurt. Winners of a coveted gold at the 2021 PetQuip Awards, Frozzys Frozen Yogurt is a natural nutritious treat rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories.

Jollyes is introducing new and high-quality design-led dog beds from Coolock Dublin-based manufacturer Beddies. Beddies is another family business owned by the Stevenson family, who also own Pownall & Hampson Ltd, a manufacturing company synonymous with quality as the leading bedding manufacturer in Ireland. Beddies is also expanding and creating jobs to meet increasing demand from customers.

Demand at Jollyes’ has never been higher. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, 3.2 million households have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic, with cat and dog ownership alone reaching 12 million of each. Pet ownership has been linked to well-being and improved mental health.

According to a PFMA report, almost a third of households in NI own a dog - higher than anywhere else in the UK. Twelve per cent of NI households also own a cat.

Laura Hadden, regional manager for Jollyes in NI and Scotland, explained: “People here in NI love their pets and over the years we’ve built up a solid bond with our customers here right across the country. We’re looking forward to reaching out to more customers here with a new store at Cookstown and a new state-of-the-art store at Newtownabbey. Together, they’ll give us the best offer we’ve ever had for pet owners in NI.”

During the pandemic Jollyes saw increased sales of pets, food and accessories, including sales of popular birds such as canaries up 50% and sales of reptiles such as geckos up 14%. There was also a 10% rise in sales of wild bird seed as more people fed their garden birds.

In 2022, Jollyes expects to open new stores through both the targeted strategic acquisition of smaller pet retailers and taking on new leases in carefully selected locations across Great Britain and NI. In the past month it has purchased three stores in Yorkshire and one in the Midlands as it steps up its growth plans.

The new store at Cookstown will create 10 new roles and job applications for those who want a dream job working with animals can be made at https://www.jollyes.co.uk/i/jobs-jollyes

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