The home pet has become the latest retailer to announce plans to repay government business rate relief.
The retailer will repay interest rate easing of £28.9 million after sales are strong despite Covid-related costs of £35 million.
The pets at home will be participating in a series of supermarkets, including Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s, who announced their government repayment plans this week.
“We were extremely grateful for the fee relief provided in March during a period of significant uncertainty, which is the decision to keep stores, online operations and veterinary practices open. It helped to bring down the recent positive news about the launch of Covid-19 vaccinations has led to reassessing the levels of uncertainty going forward.
“Our decisions today demonstrate a clear commitment to acting responsibly and treating all stakeholders fairly.”
This week, the number of retailers paying the government is increasing. There is increasing pressure on Waitrose to return business rate relief.
The supermarket group said, “We are very grateful for this important support as we lost significant sales while John Lewis Shop is closed and we have invested so much to keep our partners and customers safe. .”
“We are a business owned by our employees, not external shareholders. We are not going to pay a bonus this year. Whenever we make money, it’s our partner, our business, You will be invested in charities.”
Pets at Home Shares (LON:PETS) trades -1.48% at 392,60 (1031GMT).
