Dog paddling pools boost retail sales 狗狗遊泳池帶動寵物用品銷售增長

英國寵物零售商 “Pets at Home” 的全年零售額首次突破10億英鎊，這是由於寵物主人更舍得花錢把他們的寵物當作 “小主人” 般伺候，包括給狗狗購買用來玩樂的遊泳池。

The dilemma of what to do with your dog while you’re at work has long been a major barrier for many who’d like to become an owner. But Pets at Home say the pandemic has changed all that as we spend more time in our homes.

當自己上班不在傢時，該怎麼照料狗狗，這個問題實在讓人左右為難，這也是讓很多想養狗的人下不瞭決心的主要障礙。不過 “Pets at Home” 指出，新冠病毒疫情改變瞭這一切，因為我們待在傢裡的時間更多瞭。

It’s seen the number of pets in the UK grow by eight percent in the last year, leading to a similar sized growth in its sales to 1.1 billion pounds.

過去一年，英國的寵物數目上升瞭8%，從而帶動瞭這傢寵物用品公司的銷售相應增長，零售額達到11億英鎊。

We’re pampering them more too. The industry calls it ‘humanisation’. Paddling pools for pooches helped sales of puppy products grow by more than a quarter. But we were even keener for kitten kit, where the retailer saw spend increase by more than a third.

與此同時，我們也更加寵愛它們。寵物業界稱之為 “人性化”，就是把動物當作人類般對待。給狗狗玩水的小遊泳池熱銷，從而帶動小狗用品銷售增長瞭超過25%。但我們對購買貓咪用品甚至更熱衷，在這上面的消費增加瞭超過三分之一。

Overall, profits dipped slightly to 88 million pounds as parts of the business, particularly grooming salons, were hit by Covid-related restrictions. But the company expects more growth to come as it cashes in on our frenzy for furry friends.

雖然寵物用品熱銷，但是整體而言，該公司的利潤稍微下跌到8800萬英鎊，這是由於部分業務，尤其是寵物美容店，受到新冠疫情限制措施的打擊。不過該公司預期，由於我們對這些毛茸茸的朋友們狂熱不減，其生意會蒸蒸日上。