Catherine O’ Sullivan, owner of a chain of sought-after pet shops and now with a fifth store about to open, tells pbwnews of her journey from passionate dog owner to retail success
My life has always been in retail. From a very early age I started work in the family’s successful furniture shop, Pattens in Stoke-On-Trent, and helped the business grow from strength to strength.
Aside from this my passion was dogs, especially agility. I started to compete at a high level, even competing at Crufts with my Staffordshire bull terrier Stella, which lead me on to opening my training school Active Paws. This is where I started to sell a few doggy accessories to customers and friends.
I also started a doggy bakery selling to other pet shops and doggy diners, which myself and my mum, Pamela Patten, ran after she retired. This became quite labour intensive the busier we got. We reluctantly decided to sell the bakery, luckily to friends and now all Barks &Co stores stock Wilsons Pet Bakery.
It all began with doggy bakery – and the shop still stocks these customer favourites after a hand-over of the business to friends
I found my agility customers asking me for more products and this gave me the confidence to open my first store, Barks & Co, at Hopley House in Middlewich, Cheshire, when a small unit became available. It was an ideal location for me and I filled it with every accessory for dogs that I could: coats, harnesses, toys etc. I opened the doors in the March of 2019.
It became clear very quickly that we needed another store to give us a little more buying power. Peak Shopping Village in Rowsley, Derbyshire, was another ideal location, a bigger unit this time and great for dog walkers, campers and so forth. This is owned by Chatsworth House so has a great reputation. We opened in the May of 2019.
Both shops were gathering repeat customers at a great rate and I was lucky enough to find great staff who, like me, shared a passion for dogs in both locations as well as myself working between the two.
I try to source everything other than dog food that a dog owner would need. We don’t really sell food unless we get a request for an order. We do however excel in healthy treats. I pride myself on our special Meaty Pick & Mix and our Biscuit Pick & Mix. We give a lot of space over to treats and are always on the lookout for more.
Alongside treats we stock everything you could think of, and if I haven’t got something I will try to source it for our customers.
The stores all stock a wide range of items but each one is unique to its local area and its particular customer base. There’s always something for everyone!
Harnesses are another product we sell a lot of and we fit and advise for all breeds and types of dog. We have a varied stock and love to help to fit. A lot of customers struggle with this so it’s all part of our super dedicated customer service.
BAKEWELL
In 2020 a store became vacant in the popular tourist town of Bakewell. It was a big jump for Barks & Co but I had every confidence we could do it. However, just as we were about to open the coronavirus lockdown landed. We couldn’t open simply because there were no people in the town; we had to close our other shops because they were on sites that closed. All my money was tied up in shops that were closed, it’s just lucky we hadn’t taken on new staff. We did, however, launch our website, which is a great addition to our visiting customers who are on holiday, especially in the Peak District.
Thankfully we got through the lockdown and opened all three shops in the June of 2020 and, after some stop-starting, we managed to get going through the Christmas period only to shut again. This is when I open our Barks & Co in Audley Village, Staffordshire, a lovely little shop that has taken us quite by surprise. People definitely want to shop local and are very grateful to have such great products on their doorstep.
We have a strong customer base in all our shops and like to give a little back to our customers. We have branded rucksacks, pens and loyalty cards, which go down very well. We are looking at sponsoring a nature walk clean up in our village on a regular basis.
Our own branded products consist of our retro Doggy Lucky Bags in Adult, Puppy and Gluten-free; they make great gifts. Our own mugs (But you still love me!) are a bit cheeky and designed and made in the Potteries. We’re always thinking of new ideas!
CAPACITY
Finally at last we have all shops running at full capacity in very varied and different locations. All unique and full of practical accessories, whether customers are camping, working, competing or just wanting something for their lovely four-legged friend.
Our branded goods range is growing constantly, which adds to the unique concept of our shops. We have found customers really like to follow brands and our latest is Barbour. We are very excited to announce that we will be a major stockiest for Barbour and will have the complete dog range in our stores very soon.
We currently have 12 super staff, which is quite an achievement in a short space of time. We employ local people, that way the word spreads more quickly and you get to know the needs of the locals residents. Our next store will be a coastal location, which we are actively sourcing.
As for the future, we’re looking forward to opening store number five in Nantwich, Cheshire this month – as well as introducing a personal shopping service for pooches in some of our larger stores. During 2022 we intend to take our brand Barks & Co to another level. I would like to bring my interest in agility into Barks & Co, maybe as a training school with facilities for shop, grooming etc; who knows what the future will bring but for now it is looking good.
