Over the past four years, Pets at Home’s Marketing Director, Madeline Shaw and her team have pulled off a feat many retailers only dream of—growing customer revenue by 6.9% to £1.9 billion, while reshaping one of the UK’s most beloved pet care brands.

Fresh from being named one of Marketing Week’s top 10 most effective retail marketers, Maddie sat down to share how they pulled it off—and why "we're all for pets" is more than just a tagline.

“We didn’t do a full rebrand—we call it a brand refresh,” Maddie explained. “We’d grown our proposition exponentially, but in doing so, we’d made it harder for customers to understand who we were.”

Post-COVID, a spike in pet ownership, including 600,000 snakes! (like Indiana Jones, MAD//Insights hates snakes), and a wave of first-time pet parents prompted a rethink. The result? A simplified, unified brand strategy bringing vets, grooming, retail, and more under one paw-sitively powerful umbrella.

The refresh also responded to a generational shift. “Younger, urban professionals with different needs became pet owners for the first time,” Maddie noted. “They had different expectations—and we had to meet them.”

That insight drove a new positioning: We’re All For Pets. Backed by a charming TV spot (cue The Wannadies’ “You and Me Song”), the campaign resonated deeply. System1 gave it 4.8 stars, with a 5-star follow-up promo to boot.

“Pet ownership isn’t always bounding through fields—it’s glorious chaos,” Maddie laughed. “Sleepless nights, chewed furniture, emergency vet runs… We wanted to reflect the real emotional highs and lows of being a pet parent.”

In-store, the brand’s new Brentford concept store brings that emotion to life. Dubbed It Takes a Zoo, it’s a sensory experience for humans and pets alike—complete with guinea pig cuddles and late-night openings for reactive dogs.

Still, Maddie is the first to admit the journey hasn’t been without hiccups.

“Don’t rebrand, replatform, and consolidate distribution in one year. Trust me.”

Despite early disruption, the numbers speak volumes: brand recognition is up from 31% to 57%, vet consideration has jumped 5 percentage points, and 25% more customers now see Pets at Home as a complete care provider—not just a shop with a vet out back.

And they’re not stopping. With a digital transformation underway, a revamped Pets Club app, and a laser focus on personalisation, Maddie’s team is setting the standard for brand-led retail evolution.

“We’re building something long-term. It’s about consistency, trust, and delivering that little bit of pet magic—everywhere.”

Every available session from MAD//UpNorth is now live on the MAD//Fest YouTube channel, ready for you to revisit, rewatch, and relive the biggest ideas from the event.