A team from Pets at Home made a national TV appearance last week by assessing the work of candidates on the BBC’s The Apprentice.
The task, which aired in the 10th episode of season 17 (Thursday, March 9), saw the final six candidates – split into two groups – challenged to develop a new wet dog food brand. After finessing their dog food recipe and designing the branding, the candidates headed to the company’s Silk Bridge Retail Park store in Hendon to pitch to the panel of three Pets at Home experts, comprised of commercial director Chris Corbin, head of food trading Alastair Islip and head of own brand and innovation Jill Mason.
They were looking for high-quality nutritional recipes, an engaging and informative packaging design, value for money, and a unique selling point, with the candidates’ efforts evaluated as any new supplier would be. On the programme, the panellists were critical of both the positioning and ingredients of the two concepts, named Pro Paw and Chef Barking, and Pets at Home decided not to place orders for either product.
Corbin said: “There’s a lot that goes into understanding the nutritional needs of a pet, so it certainly wasn’t an easy task for the candidates.
“We’re passionate about getting the right products for the nation’s pets and are 100% focused on putting their health and happiness first. It was great to watch the show back, and brilliant to share a little insight on how pet food products are evaluated at Pets at Home, and the things we consider before allowing any dogs, cats or small animals to tuck into them.
“We judged Team Apex and Affinity as we would any new supplier pitching a product to us and shared some honest feedback with them on how they would need to improve their products to be considered as an option we could stock in our stores.
“Overall, we appreciated their efforts, but to have a chance of being stocked, the candidates would have had to consider if the product was right for dogs of all breeds, sizes and life stages, as well as whether it offers a complete meal.
“It was great to meet and hear from them though, and we wish the final two the best of luck!”
