Wagging Goodbye to 2021
After the rollercoaster ride that was 2020, we fortunately managed to return to some sense of stability in 2021, keeping our doors open and as a result, keeping pets happy. Although still a challenging year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was ultimately a rewarding one with many new stories to tell and many new members of the HugglePets family.
So before we kick off 2022, we thought we’d take a look back and review some of our best moments from 2021.
The Royal Visit
We were immensely proud when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited us on the 13th of May as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. The royal couple sat in on an animal therapy session with pupils from Loxdale Primary School, and witnessed first-hand the sort of work we do with young people from the local community to improve their mental health and wellbeing. They also toured our Sensory Aquarium, which is designed with its low lights and silent pumps to foster a calming environment for visitors with sensory issues and anxiety.
To have two members of the Royal Family visit our humble store in Wolverhampton was an absolute honour, and we’re extremely grateful to have had our non-profit work recognised in such a way.
The Nachural Summer Business Ball & Awards
On the 1st of October, we were honoured with three nominations at the 2021 Nachural Summer Business Ball & Awards:
- Small Business of the Year – HugglePets
- Community Excellence – HugglePets in the Community
- Business Person of the Year – Mike Dixon, Director of HugglePets
While we didn’t take home any awards on this occasion, we appreciate just being nominated as it confirms to us that we’re making a difference with every pet product we sell or animal therapy session we do – but we’re crossing our paws for next time anyway.
The Bulk Display Room
This year, our store in Wolverhampton received several new upgrades. The first of which was a bulk display room for all of our larger pet products, including beds, tanks, and our range of branded products like our bestselling fabric crates. We’ve already been told by customers that they love this new space, and we hope that the extra room allows us to bring in more products in the new year.
Fun fact: this room is actually where our old offices used to be before we moved upstairs. We’re glad we finally got to repurpose it, but we do miss being a stone’s throw from our small animals!
The Reptile Room
The second expansion was a brand new reptile room, filled with over 30 tanks of unique species of reptiles and invertebrates! Like our Sensory Aquarium, which was implemented in 2019, this new addition is fitted with low lights and rainforest sound effects to create an authentic and sensory-friendly environment.
As dedicated pet lovers, we love being able to integrate features like this into our store as we feel it sets us apart from other pet brands and helps us to deliver the best experience possible to our customers.
Upcoming HugglePets Products
After the enormous success of our HugglePets Fabric Crate Foldable Pet Carrier – which has sold over 100,000 units and was featured in Crufts 2020 – we’ve been hard at work developing our next bestseller, which we hope to bring into our physical and digital storefronts next year.
We haven’t got much more to say about this at the moment, but do keep an ear out for news on this soon!
2021 was an adventure for all of us at HugglePets, and we can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for us. We hope to see you all in the New Year, but until then, if you have any questions, queries or concerns, contact us on Facebook.
