World-first as Jollyes’ new Warrington store set to be opened by Alpacas Ted & Chewy

Store grand opening on Saturday 27 May at 10.00am. Store teams up with Woodland Alpaca Farm

Nationwide pet retailer Jollyes today (18 May) confirmed it planned to open its first Warrington store at 10.00am on Saturday 27 May.

The store, at Unit 1, Winwick Road, Warrington, WA2 8HQ will be officially opened by Ted and Chewy, two beautiful alpacas from Woodland Alpaca Farm in Thelwall who run regular educational walks to teach about Alpaca farming in support of Guillain-Barre Syndrome charity, Gain.

The Alpacas, who’ll be available 9.30-11.30am at the store for children and families to learn about alpacas are only part of the planned opening weekend celebrations.

Joining the Jollyes team will be a very special guest – the real Felix the Cat mascot who’ll also help open the store at 10.00am. It has also teamed up with community radio station Radio Warrington to search for the town’s most beloved pet to help declare the store open.

Weather permitting, on Saturday morning Jollyes will also launch its “Jumbo Pet” – a giant airship featuring a dog and cat that will be raised 150ft to tell Warrington that the store has opened.

The first 100 customers will receive a free goody-bag and every customer over the weekend will have the chance to spin Jollyes’ iconic ‘Wheel of Fur-tune’ to win prizes.

A face painter and stilt walkers round off the opening day entertainment.

On Sunday 28 May, Jollyes will be joined by Warrington Animal Welfare who will be raising money for their work to care for local pets.

Jollyes’ new Warrington store and its team of 10 will be led by Jason Chapman who’s joined from McColls and bring the ranges, service and pet care Jollyes is famous for, to town.

Its new store will provide pet parents in Warrington access to Jollyes’ raw food frozen ‘shop-in-shop’ alongside high quality private label pet food such as its own Lifestage, K9 and Rileys brands which offer a premium experience without a big brand price tag.

Powered by the expert advice from its colleagues, the new store will have a community pet clinic each Thursday from 1 June, part of a plan between now and the summer of 2024, to double the number of stores that offer vet-run clinics.

Vet-supervised dog and cat vaccinations in the clinic will start at just £14 and £13 for rabbits with primary course jabs for dogs and cats at £33.

Microchipping, already compulsory for dogs and compulsory for cats from 2024, for cats, start at just £10, offering significant savings against average prices charged by formal vet practices.

“We’re starting work today getting the store ready for opening next week.” said regional manager Sarah Farrar. “We’re looking forward to bringing the kind of value and service that’s already available at our nearby stores in Runcorn, St Helens and Eccles to the heart of Warrington.”

The opening of the new Warrington store – its 90th in the UK - is part of Jollyes’ ambitious expansion plans which will see it hit £100 million turnover in FY2023, employ 1,000 colleagues this year and have 100 stores within 18 months.

About Jollyes

From modest beginnings in Enfield as a single store in 1971, Jollyes has now grown into one of the leading pet food superstores with 84 locations across the UK alongside a market-leading position in Northern Ireland.

From Perth to Plymouth, Newry to Norwich, at Jollyes customers can find anything for their pet, from pet food, pet toys and an array of pet accessories.

Customers are actively encouraged to bring their pets into store, while customers shop because Jollyes people are passionate about pets.

Potty about puppies and crazy for cats, no matter what the animal, store colleagues are always on hand to help with anything from product advice, to picking the perfect pet and accessories.

Many stores also run community clinics offering vaccinations and other advice from trained vets. And if one of Jollyes stores isn’t close by, there’s helpful advice on Jollyes website where you can ask the expert.

Jollyes was named 2021 Pet Retail Chain of the Year at the Pet Industry Federation Awards and is nominated as best retailer under £250m turnover in the 2023 Retail Week awards. A full list of stores and advice for customers on owning a pet can be found at Jollyes