Alcester business that wants to give your pet a good night’s sleep

ALCESTER businessman Mark Nicholls is launching a range of furniture for dogs and cats after securing funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

Mark, the founder Pup & Kit, is based at Minerva Mill Innovation Centre in Station Road, Alcester where he tested his products, including a pet bed, on his two black and tan dachshunds, Woody and Monty.

To help get the products launched, Mark contacted the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub looking for support to develop the prototypes.

The Hub referred him to Coventry University Enterprise’s Proof of Concept Fund, which is match-funded at a rate of 40 per cent by the European Regional Development Fund, and arranged a meeting with business delivery manager Ilektra Fronista.

Following the meeting, Ilektra and her team supported Mark with an application and he was successfully awarded a grant of £6,000 to add to his £15,000 investment into one of the products, PetNest.

Mark said: “I started working on Pup & Kit in 2022 because I thought there was a gap in the market for high-quality, innovative furniture for dogs and cats.

“PetNest will be our core product, which is a stylish pet bed for dogs and cats that can be put on top of our bedside stand at night-time – similar to how a bedside crib works for babies. With 55 per cent of pet parents having their pet in their bedroom at night, I felt there was a big gap in the market for a product like PetNest.”

He added: “I started Pup & Kit before we got Woody and Monty, which was a benefit in helping to develop the brand. It gave me a fresh perspective and forced me to thoroughly research the market. Since then, of course, having two loving Dachshunds has been wonderful and has allowed me to see products from an owner’s perspective.”