Exotic pet businesses “swarm” to Essex
Exotic pet shops from across the UK visited Peregrine Livefoods for an 'open day’ last weekend.
Customers get an exclusive look at Zen Habitats
The Magdalen-Laver-based company, which has been selling live insects and reptile supplies since 1987 welcomed 150 people from 80 different businesses, spanning Dundee to Exeter on Saturday 17th of September.
As well as Peregrine Livefoods’ brands, ProRep, Aquaspectra, White Python and FishScience, the event saw international brand ambassadors from the likes of ZooMed, Lucky Reptile, Zen Habitats and MicroClimate visit the UK to operate stalls. Product demonstrations were also live streamed on social media throughout the day for those who could not attend.
Chris Jones, Managing Director of Peregrine Livefoods said: “It was great to see customers gather once again to discuss the incredible advancements made within the exotic pet industry. It gave staff from all departments the opportunity to speak directly with customers and gave customers the chance to witness first-hand the exciting things happening at Peregrine Livefoods right now.”
Customers had the chance to see all areas of the business, from the recently upgraded Animal Department to the busy day-to-day operations of the Livefoods Team. Amongst the best-performing areas was the greenhouse, where customers could hand-pick from hundreds of species of plants. Many reptile shops across the country are now stocked with everything from rare and delicate orchids to robust giant monsteras.
Customers hand-picking plants from the ProRep Greenhouse
In a UK first for exotics businesses, customers had the chance to get hands-on with US brand, Zen Habitats. The premium vivariums have received an excellent online response in the USA and company founders Randy and Heidi Williams travelled to the UK to showcase why this is. The brand launched exclusively through Peregrine Livefoods on the 19th September and will be available in participating stores soon. Other exclusives included ProRep Jelly Pots which are expected to revolutionise the way pet keepers feed their animals. The partnership with Lucky Reptile will bring innovative, nutritionally balanced jelly pots to the UK suitable for leopard geckos, turtles, tortoises and bearded dragons.
The business employs over 150 members of staff from across the country in various roles from warehouse operatives to animal management and customer services to marketing.
Peregrine Livefoods is one of the pioneering businesses in the exotic pet trade. It helped Essex become renowned for herpetological innovation and continues to do so today. With the cost-of-living crisis affecting exotic pet businesses heavily in recent months, the open day allowed businesses from across the country to share their thoughts on the future of this niche sector.
Jamie Girling, Product Development Specialist for ProRep taking orders for new products
Many customers also attended an evening event at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Stansted Airport. Chris Jones, Managing Director of Peregrine Livefoods started the dinner with a short speech about the open day, before Craig Thornton (Peregrine Livefoods) briefly summarised new products, Dave Pool (FishScience) spoke about the history of the brand and its acquisition by Peregrine Livefoods and Tony Jones (Responsible Reptile Keeping) introduced attendees to a new herpetoculture media initiative.
Chris Jones, Managing Director of Peregrine Livefoods added: “The evening meal was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with industry friends old and new. The current economic climate makes it extremely important to share advice and ideas with other businesses. I can’t think of a better way to do this than over dinner and drinks and we hope that everyone who attended found something useful in what turned out to be a very enjoyable evening.”
Cyril Geoffray showcasing ZooMed’s latest products