As a Business Support Advisor, I met with the Directors of The Pet Shop Guys in Winton Bournemouth. Father, daughter and son, Laurie, Laura and Dean have over the past six years built a successful pet supply business with over 3000 customers from the local community walking through their doors each month. With two shops in Winton and Southbourne, they signed a new lease for a third shop in Westbourne in early July 2022.
We caught up to talk through their experience of a devastating fire that took hold in the hot summer of July in 2022.
The fire started at 2pm outside at the rear of the shop, and in Laurie’s words “within 5 minutes, it was totally out of control”. The fire was close to a wooden fence and spread to the storage sheds nearby. The shop staff were unable to extinguish the fire, so they evacuated everyone and dialed 999. Unfortunately, the fire spread to the shop where freezers containing frozen pet foods exploded. The fire service attended and brought the fire under control, but it was too late to save the majority of the stock. The smoke damage throughout the shop was extensive, preventing the business from operating properly.
The day before the fire they had signed the lease for the third shop in Westbourne. Laura had planned how the shop was going to look and was going to gradually move some of the stock from Winton into the new shop, slowly building up the business. With the stock now gone this left them in an impossible situation. The Pet Shop Guys Westbourne opened in late September, but with the massive downturn in turnover there was just no money left to make it work and it closed less than a year later. Both Southbourne and Winton are still fighting to keep their doors open 15 months later.
Laura told me that “the knock-on effect on the business is worse than the fire”. Laura explained “people don’t realise how much goes into a small business, it’s been difficult for the staff and customers. We’re like a family, and it has affected us all”.
Furthermore, Laura tells me she has been traumatised by the experience and the emotional impact has been difficult and she now has a fear of fire in her own home.
Laura was very honest and explained she was unaware that Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service had a website where she would find lots of fire safety information to support her business. As business owners, Laurie and Laura assumed that when they signed the full repairing lease for the premises, all fire safety measures would already be in place. She also added that in addition to doing everything you can in terms of fire prevention, make sure to take advice on the terms of how your insurance pays out in the event of a fire. “It’s not as straight forward as it may sound in your policy. In addition to putting everything in place to avoid a fire in the first place, make sure that you fully understand your policy to ensure you have enough cover. We have received less than 10% of what was actually lost. We are still really struggling to get back on our feet”.
From October 1st this year (2023), all businesses will now need to record a Fire Risk Assessment, irrespective of the number of staff they have.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service can’t do your fire risk assessment for you, but we do recommend that you appoint a fire risk assessor with third party accreditation by a professional body. There are a number of organisations that provide accreditation for fire risk assessors, and these can be found by carrying out a search online. Alternatively, the National Fire Chiefs Council has guidance on its website about finding a fire risk assessor.
We want to support local businesses and offer information and guidance on our website to assist people with their fire safety responsibilities.
Both myself and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service want to thank Laurie and Laura for taking the time out to talk about their experience and the impact the fire has had on their business, and we wish them all the success in the future.
Michelle White – Business Support Advisor