Garden products supplier announces move into a new market with the launch of a pet care accessories range.
Initially aimed at cat and dog owners, the range will include collars and leads, bedding, grooming products and treats.

Commercial manager Andrew Mellowes explained why Gardman is entering the category: "Pet care accessories is a £4.2 billion market in the UK with underlying growth. Though serviced by a number of suppliers, we believe that we can offer a much more effective solution by offering a full category management approach. For retailers, the supply chain is fragmented, and therefore an opportunity exists to provide our customers with a 'one-stop shop' to give them a better service in all the areas of product innovation, range hierarchy, promotional strategy, and especially merchandising solutions and stock availability."

The new range will be supplied under three distinct brands, aimed at different sectors of the market. Gardman Pet will offer a core range of everyday accessories for cats and dogs, while Heads and Tails will focus on fashion and design-led products, and finally, the Explorer brand will target dog owners with an active outdoor lifestyle.

The pet care range will be available from July and the company hopes the move into a new category will provide the foundation for it to expand the offer to other global markets over the next few years.