Blog from Adam Taylor

Blog: Adam Taylor is the co-founder of e-commerce platform for pet food subscriptions petshop.co.uk, which is based in Masons Road, Stratford-upon-Avon. He is among the speakers at the Driving Innovation and Growth Summit on Friday at the University of Warwick Wellesbourne Campus Conference Centre.

"This event is highly relevant to our business on many levels. We have been based in Stratford-upon-Avon since 2012 and I have always found the business community to be really responsive.

"I remember going on a trip with other businesses from Coventry and Warwickshire to the Houses of Parliament and talking to University of Warwick about the development of the Wellesbourne campus so it is great that the event is taking place there.

"I think it is fantastic that the Summit has been organised and I'm excited about raising awareness of Stratford-upon-Avon and the advantages of being located here.

"Strategically this is an important location for petshop.co.uk from a logistics perspective and the same can be said for businesses based in other parts of Coventry and Warwickshire because it is the centre point of the UK for travel.

"This has meant we have had reduced courier fees which has given us a competitive advantage and in terms of recruiting people it also helps because there is a lot of experience in this area such as warehouse managers and operatives which makes it easier to employ new staff.

"In terms of high-growth, we have grown by 50 per cent on average for the past six years and our turnover is just over £20 million. We have achieved that through self-funding without raising significant money from investors.

"In terms of innovation, we entered the £4bn UK dog and cat food market but identified to compete with bigger competitors with better buying power and deep pockets we would need to pioneer and lead on new innovation. As a result, we were the first in the UK to launch a subscription service for dog and cat food back in 2010.

"We made it very easy and initially targeted elderly customers so it meant they didn't have to carry heavy products before it evolved to all pet owners and we launched the first SMS subscriptions which made it particularly seamless for repeat orders and made it accessible to everyone.

"Our customers are equally split among all regions of the UK and we have a healthy and growing click and collect service which gives customers in this area a competitive advantage since they save between 10 per cent by collecting their orders instead of paying for packaging and shipping.

"I think events like this are great for bringing together businesses, government bodies and educational institutions. Showcasing the high level of high-growth businesses that are already based in South Warwickshire and it makes you aware of just what's happening and the support available.

"All this intelligence is handy when putting together business plans for the next two, three, five or ten years and I will be interested to hear the economic plans from Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

"It is important that we all work together pro-actively for the benefit of the area and if we can, we always support local businesses and charities since it boosts the local economy and creates jobs and a more positive environment for everyone."