Profile: Nick Wood, Pets at Home chief executive

Nick Wood must feel like the cat who got the cream this week after he bagged the top job at Pets at Home.

Wood is exchanging putters for pet treats after he leaves 90-store golfing superstore American Golf for the KKR-owned retailer.

He has nabbed one of the most sought-after retail roles. Not only does Pets at Home have sound financial backing – KKR paid £995m to buy the retailer from fellow private equity firm Bridgepoint in a show of confidence of its potential – it has lots of room to expand.

The pets specialist has added 115 stores to its portfolio in the past five years alone and has upped its store target number from 300 shops, which it has at present, to 400. Wood will be expected to continue its growth drive.

It may seem like a big move considering American Golf’s comparatively modest store tally but Wood has an impressive CV behind him, dominated by his 10 years at Dixons where he rose to the heights of managing director.

Fran Minogue, managing partner of headhunter Clarity, who placed Wood in the Pets at Home role, says: “Nick is very bright, he’s a Cambridge graduate and very financially literate. He’s strategic but also effective operationally. He’s not afraid to ask difficult questions.”

Wood’s experience at the helm of LDC-backed American Golf for four years – he teed up its sale to Sun European Partners in December 2011 – also means he is no stranger to PE taskmasters.

Pets at Home chairman Tony DeNunzio says: “His track record speaks for itself. He has excellent experience in the private equity environment.”

Wood originally took a chairman’s position at the golfing specialist but was persuaded to take an executive role to guide the retailer through a difficult period.

American Golf’s sales dropped 10.5% to £58m the year before Wood joined in 2008. Under his leadership sales have consistently grown, topping £86.6m in its financial year to January 2011.

Golfing greens may seem a world away from pet products, but there is a big similarity between the two – both speciality retailers make their business out of people’s passions.

Family man Wood, who is the father of twin girls, is keen to build a community among Pets at Home’s loyal customer base, making the most of social media, one source says.

He is clearly a hands-on boss. At American Golf he also took on commercial director responsibilities alongside his chief executive position, and was instrumental in refreshing the retailer’s ailing apparel business.

However, he is no control freak. “He’s warm and has a very personal, inclusive management style, and a dry sense of humour. He’s a good team builder,” says Minogue.

Pets at Home’s well-respected and enthusiastic former boss Matt Davies left big shoes to fill. Pets at Home came second in The Sunday Times’ Best Companies to Work For 2012 testament to the working culture that Davies created in his eight years at the helm, and Wood will want to continue that momentum.

“Matt has done a great job there and created a wonderful culture. We wanted to find someone who can follow on from that,” Minogue says.

Along with UK expansion, there still lies the opportunity to take the Pets concept overseas and the new boss’s experience of running international retailers – he managed Dixons’ Tax Free and @Jakarta businesses – will help.

No one will be more pleased that Wood has got the top dog role at Pets than Oscar and Louis, his two Bichon Frise dogs, along with the family hamster Snuggles. If he successfully manages KKR’s development and eventual exit of Pets, as he did at American Golf, plenty of treats could be coming their way.