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A COVENTRY pet food vendor is planning for growth after securing major exposure during the world-famous Crufts dog show at the National Exhibition Centre.

PetShopBowl UK, based at the University of Warwick’s Binley Innovation Centre, was the only online company to be offered its own stall at the prestigious event.

The firm, which provides next day delivery on over 1,500 pet food products, was only established in January 2010 so its progress has been rapid.

Adam Taylor set the business up after noticing the trouble his mother had with large, heavy bags of food and litter for her two rescue dogs and five cats. His research showed only 3% of pet food was purchased online so he established the company to exploit the gap in the market.

“It is extremely difficult to get a spot at Crufts,” he said.

“It went really well, we picked up 2,500 online subscribers and developed new sponsorship relationships with numerous brands so we were delighted.”

Relocating from London to Warwickshire to be closer to suppliers, the business has thrived to the point where it is experiencing month-on-month growth of 50%.

However, the relocation was something of homecoming for Mr Taylor having completed a degree in engineering and manufacturing at the University of Warwick in 2006.

The business initially focused on elderly and disabled customers who may have difficulty purchasing what they need. However, its customer base is now growing to include able bodied people as well.

Establishing the business came at a fortuitous time for Mr Taylor after he ended up being made redundant from his job in finance.

“This forced me to follow through with my plans to set up this business. The incentive schemes we have been involved in have clearly helped but I think the fact that money is not readily available has persuaded us to be more stringent,” he said.

Source:http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/145838-pet-food-business-cashes-in-on-crufts-success.html?news_section=19034 requires sign up/log in