Jollyes names opening date for new Chester pet superstore

The store, at 2B Chester Retail Park, Old Seals Way, Chester, CH1 4RY will open a unit vacated by Poundland earlier this year.

The store is set to be officially opened by three special guests.

Performing the red ribbon cutting will be the Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Razia Daniels a Governor of City of Chester University and The Queen’s School Chester.

Alongside The Lord Mayor who’s also a member of the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service will be detector dog Sully and his handler Olivia Uguz who’ll also bite through a strong of sausages to declare the store open.

Sully, a sprocker, works for the border force protecting the country and like many service animals may be supported in later years by the National Federation of Retired Service Dogs which Jollyes recently named as a key charity partner.

The NFRSA helps support the care, well-being, and welfare of retired service animals from across the emergency service family - the police, fire, border force, National Crime Agency, NHS and prison services.

Over the next 12 months, all Jollyes’ stores will be raising money for NFRSA with collections matched by Jollyes up to £20,000 that will help NFRSA support retired service animals and their owners.

The new Chester store, which will create 12 jobs will be led by experienced Jollyes store manager Stephen Williams who’s been promoted to the role after 11 years working for Jollyes in Runcorn.

What’s more the Chester store will be a great example of the career development opportunities for colleagues as the pet superstore continues to open new stores at pace.

Joining the Chester team are deputy manager Charlie Davis who has been promoted from his role as supervisor at Jollyes’ Flint store and new supervisor Holly Williams.

Part of the opening day celebrations will be two Jollyes ’Ambassadogs’ who’ll be sharing details of the new store and what it has to offer over the coming weeks.

They are Evie, a six months old Labrador cross Border Collie from Hoole who can be found on Instagram at: 

https://www.instagram.com/evie.the.lab.x/ 

...and  Mr Bear an eight year-old rescue fox-faced Pom who lives close to the store.

Chester's Dee Radio will also provide entertainment on opening day with activity continuing into the bank holiday weekend with an entertainer and pet theme gameshows on Saturday 24 August giving every customer the chance to spin Jollyes’ iconic ‘Wheel of Fur-tune’ to win prizes.

Jollyes new store will provide pet parents in Chester access to Jollyes’ raw food frozen ‘shop-in-shop’ and a community pet clinic which will open later this year.

Store manager Stephen Williams said:

“Over the next week we’ll be working hard to get the store ready to welcome our special guests and customers for the first time.

“My whole team is looking forward to delivering the service, expertise – and above all prices – that Jollyes is becoming famous for right across the country.”

Jollyes has grown its store estate by 50 per cent in three years and has had an remarkable start to 2024 winning new investment to supercharge its growth, being named as the best retailer in Britain at the prestigious Retail Week awards for retailers under £250m turnover and making the Sunday Times’ list for the first time as one of Britain’s best big companies to work for.

Jollyes in Chester will be its 105th store in the UK joining other stores in and around Cheshire in Congleton, Ellesmere Port, Widnes, Runcorn and Warrington.  Jollyes main national distribution centre is also in Middlewich, Cheshire.

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 over 100 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 2023 Pet Retail Chain of the Year at the Pet Industry Federation Awards and was named best retailer under £250m turnover in the 2024 Retail Week awards.  Earlier this month it was also named for the first time as one of the best big companies to work for in the Sunday Times annual survey.

A full list of stores and advice for customers on owning a pet can be found at: 

www.jollyes.co.uk.

About NFRSA

When serving dogs and horses from our emergency services, and beyond, retire from a lifetime of duty, the financial support they have enjoyed whilst working, including food, kennels or stables, medical and veterinary requirements, training and equipment also comes to an end.

Unfortunately, meaningful insurance is almost impossible to obtain due to their age and training, and even if available, the premiums insurance companies charge for retired animals is incredibly high. This is obviously a serious worry for handlers who have their own financial obligations, and medical bills can be a real challenge.

As is widely acknowledged, the relationship between a handler and their working partner is second to none, and it is unthinkable that the pair may be broken up due to financial pressure. Unfortunately, this does often happen, and it causes great distress for the handlers, their families, and of course the animals themselves.

The National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, a registered charity in the UK, is there to ensure these wonderful animals can remain where they belong, with the families they love, as the years advance by supporting them with medical and vet bills.

During their Golden Years, we passionately feel they deserve not only happiness and health, but also financial security. After dedicating a life of service, keeping the public safe in countless ways, it is our turn to be there for them, and to thank them for all they have done.

Together, our job, quite simply, is to 'Protect Our Protectors'.