Pets at Home is considering further stockpiling of pet food if a disruptive no deal Brexit remains on the cards in October, according to the Press Association.
Chief executive Peter Pritchard said the group had already run down the £4 million of extra stocks built up in advance of the original March 29 Brexit deadline.
But he said the group would look to rekindle stockbuilding efforts if the prospect of a no-deal Brexit risks disruption to its product supply in the autumn.
He said: “We will always protect customer availability. Our focus is on making sure our customers can buy the things they want.”
The news comes as businesses face more Brexit uncertainty, with little sign of a deal on the horizon.
Stockbuilding in the first quarter of 2019 helped push UK economic growth up to 0.5%, but firms are expected to wind their inventories down over the second quarter.
Pets at Home has previously warned that 17% of its goods come from outside the UK, and its stock supply could be disrupted in the event of delays at ports and borders under a no-deal Brexit.
But Pritchard said that as a pet retailer, it has been shielded from some of the Brexit uncertainties hitting other retailers and businesses.
“Pets are part of the family and we can see even through these challenging times that people continue to spend on their pet,” he said.
Picture: Milton of Fonab Caravan Park
