Pets at Home, designated an ‘essential’ retailer during the outbreak and therefore able to keep shops open, reported in a post-close update that it traded in line with expectations during the final quarter of the financial year. The retailer said in the closing weeks, demand was “exceptional” in-store and online as the coronavirus emergency unfolded.

Existing customers increased their average basket size by pulling forward purchases and the retailer drew in new shoppers seeking its products and services.