Claws out: how do prices compare at Pets at Home and competitor Jollyes?

Jollyes and Pets at Home both announced their Christmas trading results this week, each with varying outcomes.

Petcare giant Pets cited a “challenging consumer backdrop” for its sales slide in the third quarter, during which revenue slipped 2.4% for the 12 weeks to January 2, 2025, and like-for-likes fell 2.8%. 

At the time of reporting, the retailer said that it was on track to deliver “modest growth” in profits, noting: “Against a still subdued consumer backdrop, we have maintained a disciplined gross margin performance, supported by strong Christmas seasonal sell-through.”

Jollyes, however, was singing a different tune. The plucky TDR-owned retailer sees itself as a clear and challenging number two brand to Pets in the market, and it has been packing on growth over the last few years. 

Over its four-week Christmas trading period (which we must note is considerably shorter than Pets’), the retailer recorded sales growth of 13%, growing like-for-like sales by 6%. 

What does chime together is each retailer’s approach to pricing strategy, where everyday low prices are now the cats’ pyjamas. Pets at Home recently debuted a Price Drop and Lock campaign on its bestsellers while Jollyes has this week said 3,000 product lines will come down in price for all its shoppers – rather than just for members of its Pets Club loyalty scheme. 

But just how do they stack up? Retail Week has selected 26 products, across a variety of categories, sold in both retailers to compare the prices. 

Although onlookers may have perceived the timing of Jollyes’ price announcement as a swipe at Pets following its trading update, our analysis shows that this is more of a catch-up move than an outright challenge. 

Across the shopping list, Jollyes was cheaper than Pets at Home for 15 of the 26 products, the same price on four and more expensive on six. 

Although Jollyes was generally cheaper, it isn’t by much on this particular shop. If the owner of a rabbit, cat, tortoise, dog with a sensitive tummy, fleas and a sore foot, goldfish and a litter of abandoned puppies were to plump for Jollyes to pick up this shopping list, they’d only save themselves a few pounds than if they went to Pets at Home. The list would cost £434.23 at Pets at Home and £431.91 at Jollyes – although with that brood at home, who could blame them for watching their pennies? 

On most of the products where Jollyes is cheaper on this list, it’s by less than £1, and in many cases, it’s the difference between paying 99p and 97p. And should that (presumably very stressed out) shopper have picked up this same list last week, and they weren’t a Pet Club member, they’d have actually found Pets at Home slightly cheaper. We managed to find just one line where Jollyes had increased its price from pre-change, the Breeder Celect Cat Litter which went up by about £1. 

Pets at Home’s version of events is that consumer spending in this department is subdued, and a large part of this will be down to the fact that the pet-buying boom of Covid has come to its natural end.

That’s not to say that we own fewer pets as a nation – the vast majority of dogs and cats who joined families during that time are still with them and in need of biscuits – but fewer people are adding new pets to their families today than they were a few years ago. 

But it doesn’t take a bloodhound to sniff out that a more even playing field in pricing with its fast-growing competitor will not be making tails wag at Pets at Home.