Bestway is to plough £10m into its petcare business Bestpets over the next three years.

As part of the investment, the cash & carry giant said it would extend Bestpets into more depots, grow web orders, hire more staff and increase the number of delivery vehicles.

“Since the inception of Bestpets in 2005, we have seen considerable growth and a complete belief and following in what we do from the UK pet trade,” operations director of Batleys and Bestpets Martin Race told The Grocer.

“This year already we have opened new hubs in Newcastle and Nottingham and have doubled the size of hubs at Exeter and Luton. We are about to develop a new site in Glasgow and we are currently looking at options for more space in Bristol,” he added.

The Bestpets website accounted for 30% of the company’s delivered orders to trade customers, Race said, and the investment would help grow this figure further. Extra promotional offers were also planned.

Bestway also plans to hire extra sales development managers and depot staff.

“We are aware of how difficult business is for our customers and we want to be seen to be helping our pet trade customers to build their businesses through offering them top service as well as value and the best prices,” Race added.

The investment is part of a wide-ranging review being carried by Bestway, which also includes plans to revamp its fresh, chilled and frozen offers, as well as distribution and foodservice.

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