For the 28 weeks to October 13 Pets at Home reported group underlying profit before tax of £59.2m, down 9.3% due to inflated costs associated with international shipping, the spiralling cost of energy and a year-on-year increase in investment in digital assets.

Total group revenue was up 7.3% to £727.2m for the period, with group like-for-like sales up 6.4% and customer levels hitting record numbers in the first half.