Petwear business expands

Nov 28 2007 by Chris Knox, The Journal

AN ANIMAL mad couple have expanded their petwear business by launching their own line of products and are now looking to set up their first store.

Debbie and Mark Nelson are set to expand Charlie and Ben Designer Petwear in the New Year, with plans to move into their first shop from a stall in the Gateshead MetroCentre.

The firm, which has recently relaunched its website at www.designer-petwear.co.uk, sells everything from hoodies to denim dresses as well as a range of accessories including a wall-mounted dog bowl priced at £180.

The pair hope their own designs, launched last month, will enable them to boost the firm’s profits and allow it to rely less on third party distributors.

Although the couple only employ one member of staff, they plan to bring in another four when they eventually relocate, with the long-term aim of spinning out a number of outlets in the region over the coming years.

They also plan to increase the sale of their own designs through a number of local shopkeepers, with only a handful of outlets in southern areas such as Essex and Sussex currently stocking them.

Debbie said: “Through petwear and accessories, we are catering for a growing market in the UK and are now ready to expand our business in the new year.”

While aimed at everyday pet lovers, Debbie admits that she was inspired by the celebrity culture of pet pampering when setting up the business last year.

“Watching celebrity TV programmes made me realise how big petwear is in America and made me realise their was a market in the North-East”, she said. “A lot of people still think of petwear as a joke but there’s a lot of practical advantages, such as keeping dogs and cats warm in the winter and avoiding the need for animals with skin conditions to wear lampshades around their heads.”

The pair hope to increase their brand awareness next month when they take their clothing to the Clothes Show Live event at Birmingham’s NEC Arena between December 7 and 12.

Debbie and Mark gave up their jobs at the Inland Revenue in 2006 to concentrate on the business as well as to have their third child.

Although the couple’s first two children, daughter Charlotte, five, and son Benjamin, three, are a little young to be part of the business just yet, they did inspire their parents to come up with its name.

Debbie said: “When we were setting up the business we did not own any dogs to name the business after and thought it would be nice to keep it in the family by naming it after our kids.”

Even their new baby Grace has had a part to play, with the one of the firm’s most popular pet carriers named after her.

Debbie is also lucky to have two willing volunteers in the shape of her two cockapoo puppies, Harvey and Lester, both a cross between a cock-a-spaniel and a poodle.

“Harvey loves his harness and dressing up in his favourite T-shirts. He even cries for his clothes on and it can be a nightmare when we get deliveries as he wants to try everything on,” she said.