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Petworld
at Focus Do It All
 Who
are Focus Do It All?
Focus Do It All are the UK's third largest DIY chain. They are looking to increase
their share of the market by turning DIY shopping into a 'leisure experience'
for all the family. Focus Do It All purchased Petworld in 1996 to 'set itself
apart from other DIY retailers'. It has certainly done that - but for all of
the wrong reasons.
Focus Do It All have a total
of 209 stores throughout the UK. There are now 60 Petworlds situated within
these stores. By 2001, Focus Do It All plan to open in-store Petworlds in two
thirds of their existing stores.
Who
are Petworld?
Petworld is a chain of large American-style pet 'warehouses' that sell pet food
and accessories - as well as the animals themselves. Small mammals, fish and
birds are sold,as well as other exotic animals such as lizards, snakes and spiders.
They state, in their defence, that they 'do not sell cats or dogs'. The reality
is that very few pet shops do today.
In a recent undercover investigation
by Animal Aid, it was found that both the care of these animals in-store, and
the advice given for their husbandry, was totally unsatisfactory.
Stick
to paint not pets!
Up and down the country, animal shelters are struggling to cope with an increasing
number of unwanted and abandoned companion animals. The move by Focus Do It
All into the pet trade will only serve to exacerbate this and is both irresponsible
and counter to the dignity and welfare needs of animals. DIY stores - with their
emphasis on glossy consumerism and large volume sales - are bound to encourage
impulse buys, which in turn lead to serious welfare problems for the animals
concerned.
Transcripts of conversations
between our investigator and Petworld staff were analysed by consultant biologist
Clifford Warwick. He advised that:
'Petworld's animal maintenance
practices, as well as their advice, are deficient not only in terms of animals
in their own care, but also in terms of the advice they seem willing to impart
to customers'.
'Furthermore, with the above
in mind, it is also clear that, in the context of local authority licensing
laws, contraventions may be present. For example, the Pet Animals Act (1951,
amended 1983) states clearly: a) animals will at all times be in accommodation
suitable as respects size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness.
Relatively small enclosures (as present at Petworld) are without a truly comprehensive
thermal gradient, are insufficient to provide for spatial and other needs, and
are in my firm opinion contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the Act.'
Profits
in exotics
A large number of exotic animals, including reptiles, are on sale in Focus Do
It All stores. The requirements of these animals are many and varied and, consequently,
they make highly unsuitable pets. Reptiles retain their natural instincts, whether
or not they are captive-bred. Many of the reptiles sold by Focus Do It All,
the company has acknowledged to Animal Aid, are taken from the wild. All of
the anoles (small lizards) are wild-caught.
RSPCA
and Focus Do It All
In a statement sent to Animal Aid, Focus Do It All implied that they had the
full support of the RSPCA. Animal Aid checked this out and were told by the
RSPCA that they would be instructing Focus Do It All to 'desist from suggesting
the RSPCA endorses their operation!'. In fact, the RSPCA state that they have
routinely opposed planning applications where they know of them.
Focus
(you can't) Do It All
The campaign has two aims:
 To force Focus Do It All
to rethink its sales strategy and cease selling animals in its stores.
To draw public attention
to the pet industry in general and the plight of animals in shelters.
Take part in Animal Aid days of action, or go along to your local Focus Do It
All store and hand out Focus (you can't) Do It All flyers.
Collect signatures on the Focus (you can't) Do It All petition.
Write a letter to your local newspaper.
Join the national boycott of Do It All and Focus Do It All stores - whether
or not your local branch sells animals.
Write or speak in person to the manager of your local store and say that, until
the company stops selling animals, you are taking your custom elsewhere.
Write also to Bill Archer, Chairman, Gawsworth House, Westmere Drive, Crewe,
Cheshire CW1 6JD.
Email us for a campaign pack to find
out what else you can do.
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