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| PET GAZETTE | PIF
NIGEL’S BLOG
Pet Industry Federation chief executive
Nigel Baker shares his views
W
ecently PIF has attended
a number of meeting and
conferences, and we remain
surprised at how little dot-
connecting actually goes on in
our industry!
To survive in business, we all need
customers and that applies to us as a trade
association, you as a retailer, wholesaler or
manufacturer, and equally applies if you
provide ancillary pet services.
The issue is that there are only so many
customers to share around. With many of
the taxa being static in growth, and in some
cases declining, it means that any customers
you don't have (and need in order to grow
your business) will currently be served by
another competitive business.
If you stop to think for a moment, those
customers you want could well be visiting
the vet, the groomer, the kennel or cattery
or the home-boarder. So why not break the
circle and make a point of befriending one
or all of these other businesses? They are
actually non-competitive to you and have
customers that just might come and visit
your business. Of course, vets can't actually
recommend other businesses, but picture
the scenario where the groomer sends
customers to the vet for problems they may
have discovered, the vet sends customers
to the groomer because their coats need
attention; you recommend customers to
the local dog walker or rehoming centre,
and likewise they refer customers to you for
food and accessories. It’s a great model that
benefits businesses, as well as animal welfare!
year, around 35 percent of UK pet retailers
(by number) attended, which although
representative of the industry, is lower than
what we’d like to see there. Manufacturers
want to meet retailers, groomers, dog
walkers and vets. These businesses are the
lifeline of the industry, and talking to you
shapes the future of their business.
How do we address this issue in order to
encourage you to join us at PIF’s Forum and
Awards event? Whilst the conference during
the day will be filled with sessions that will
help improve your business outlook; and
learn about new trends and activities that
you could use to improve your business;
the event is as much about networking and
cementing relationships for the future. This
year’s event will take place on Tuesday 28
November at Whittlebury Hall, nr Towcester,
Northamptonshire. It's the same hotel that
F1 drivers use after the British Grand Prix
and has an amazing bar filled with Grand
Prix memorabilia and photos! It is a fantastic
hotel, and we’re very much looking forward
to returning there after our last event at
Whittlebury in 2014.
We will be announcing the Pet Industry
Awards in the evening. This occasion is
always great fun and memorable – a real
celebration of the industry. Details of the
2017 Pet Industry Awards will be announced
in early summer, so keep an eye on the trade
press for further updates.
It would be nice if we can join the dots
and connect you to the manufacturers who
want to meet you and keep this industry
alive and thriving. We have seen too many
other industries collapse and be taken
over by large conglomerates. But, the pet
industry has one ace up its sleeve, namely
the fact that our industry not only relies on
customers, but also on pets. Whilst people
have and want pets, we have an industry.
Pet industry businesses are so interwoven
that they certainly depend on dot joining
– the problem we don’t talk to each other
often enough, or even at all!
For more information go to
www.petfederation.co.uk.
ENGAGING WITH
THE INDUSTRY
PIF sets out to engage with potential
members, but even we struggle in some
circumstances. Each year we hold the
Pet Industry Forum ahead of the PIF
Awards evening. In order to ensure that
the content is fit for purpose, we have an
events committee consisting of retailers,
manufacturers and pet service people to
set the topics for the programme. Last
www.petgazette.biz
July 2017