Our Story
Our History
Pedigree Wholesale has been succesfully serving the independent pet and aquatic retail sector for more than 50 years, and can in fact trace its roots in the pet trade all the way back to 1926 when William (Billy) Brown started a boarding kennels. Billy's son Ken saw an opportunity to not only provide quality boarding for their customers' pets, but to also breed pedigree dogs with the highest welfare standards for supply to the public.
In 1970 and after a spell working at the family kennels, Ken's son Terry together with a colleague started their own business - a pet products wholesale business servicing local pet shops.
Through lots of hard work and a real desire to please their customers, Pedigree Wholesale continued to successfully develop and grow, extending their geographical reach throughout the UK by opening brand new depots and acquiring competitor family owned wholesalers.
We are more than just a Wholesaler
Through every generation it has always been a guiding principle of the Brown family to offer the best possible service to its customers, together with the best possible product range.
Pedigree Wholesales have developed strong partnerships with suppliers and are proud to offer a comprehensive range of over 12,500 quality pet products sourced from market leading companies around the world.
To support the independent pet retail trade further, Pedigree has used its extensive market and purchasing knowledge to expand its activities into both importing and manufacturing.
Pedigree's own in-house design team have developed fantastic ranges sold under their own All for Paws and Animal Instincts brands but to name a few. These ranges offer excellent product quality, performance and value for money.
In addition, Pedigree have been appointed exclusive UK distributors of several key brands including the JW Pet Company, well known for its dog toys and bird accessories, and Hikari, Japan's leading manufacturer of fish food, recognised globally for its exceptional quality.
In 1985 Pedigree acquired a local seed manufacturing business, Walter Harrison & Sons, whose name has been synonymous with the production of the finest quality animal and wild bird foods for over a century. With generations of accumulated experience, Harrison's nutritionists continue to develop unique seed mixes, and coupled with professional marketing support now makes them one of the market leading brands in the wild and caged birds feeds.
Proud to Serve
Although Pedigree can quote all the impressive facts and figures you would expect from a major modern day wholesaler, a comprehensive product offering in excess of 12,500 SKUs, 100,000 sq ft of quality warehousing and a moder fleet of 30 vehicles, what really makes Pedigree stand out is its focus on people, both its own 175 employees and importantly all the staff in its 2,500 strong retail customer base.
All Pedigree staff have a passion for delivering excellence and there is a commitment across all parts of the business to provide excellent customer service on a personal level.
With its many years of experience, the Pedigree management team are fully aware that the basic principle of getting the right products to the customer on time is a key factor in any wholesale company's success. A strategy of on-going investment in the latest industry leading logistics technology is fundamental to maintaining its competitive advantage.
Its network of 5 strategically located modern distribution warehouses are supported by a totally paperless management system, with warehouse pickers being guided through their tasks by voice recognition technology, enabling an industry leading pick accuracy of 99.9%!
Supporting the Independent Retailer
Pedigree Wholesale still remains 100% family owned and is now in its 4th generation, with Terry's son Steve joining the business in 1997 after qualifying as a management accountant.
Steve, who now leads the company, is passionate about the independent pet trade and is as committed as ever to continuing to provide the best possible support to help independent pet retailers runs successsful businesses.
Pedigree Wholesale is one of those rare business combinations, founded on hard work and family values, coupled with embracing new technology to provide the best service possible for its customers. The company's philosophy can be summed up with 2 simple statements:
"The desire to be the best wholesaler, providing the best service built on the best reputation within the Pet Trade"
"Only promise what you can deliver!"