Pets at Home has appointed James Bailey, most recently managing director of Waitrose, as its new CEO.
Bailey held the position of managing director at the supermarket chain for more than five years from April 2020, leading the group through the Covid lockdown period and relaunching Waitorse.com following the retailer’s exit from the Ocado platform. Prior to his appointment at Waitrose, he held a number of senior roles over 20 years at J Sainsbury plc, including grocery buying director.
Bailey will take up his new role from March 30, 2026, and his package includes a base salary of more than £639,000 plus pension contributions, share options and an annual bonus scheme worth up to 170% of base salary.
Since the exit of former chief executive Lyssa McGowan in September 2025, Ian Burke has been acting as executive chair pending the arrival of a permanent ceo, and he will revert to the role of non-executive chair upon Bailey’s arrival.
Burke said: “On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to announce the appointment of James Bailey as CEO of Pets at Home Group Plc.
“Following an extensive search process, the Board believes James’ experience aligns well with the Group’s ambitions for the coming years. His strong retail leadership skills will support the ongoing focus on improving Pets at Home’s retail business, with significant operational and commercial experience leading both stores and online operations. My Board colleagues and I very much look forward to working with him.”
Bailey added: “I’m delighted to be joining Pets at Home, it’s a business I’ve admired for a long time and one I believe has a very bright future. I look forward to working with the Board and to meeting and working with all of the Pets colleagues and partners.”
