PET retailer Jollyes has announced plans to invest £325,000 in new stores in Northern Ireland.
The company, which already has 12 outlets around the north, will this weekend shift its Glengormley staff to a new 6,700 sq ft unit store at the Longwood retail park in Newtownabbey.
Jollyes said the new store, which includes a ‘pamper and groom spa’, will create five new jobs.
The retailer will also open a new 5,000 sq ft store in Cookstown in February, creating ten jobs.
It comes as Jolleyes announced it plans to invest more with Irish suppliers.
The company said it will step up its investment with Co Armagh’s Mackle Petfoods and Belfast-based Fozzys.
Mackle specialises in dog food, while Fozzys makes frozen pet food.
Jolleyes said it has also signed up for a new range of products from Dublin-based manufacturer Beddies.
It follows increased demand for pet products on the back of the pandemic pet boom.
The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association had estimated one-in-three household in the north owned a dog prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, higher than anywhere else in the UK.
The PFMA said around 3.2 million households in the UK acquired a pet since the start of the first lockdown.
Laura Hadden, regional manager for Jollyes in Northern Ireland said: “People here in Northern Ireland love their pets and over the years we’ve built up a solid bond with our customers here right across the country.
“We’re looking forward to reaching out to more customers here with a new store at Cookstown and a new state-of-the-art store at Newtownabbey. Together, they’ll give us the best offer we’ve ever had for pet owners in Northern Ireland.”
