New Delhi-based pet retail brand Heads Up For Tails, currently generating a revenue of Rs 10 crore a month, aims to scale that up significantly by the end of FY22. The company, which has raised $13 million till now, has plans to raise another round soon.
Rashi Narang, Founder and Creative Director, Heads Up For Tails, believes the pandemic led to a steady rise in the number of pet parents due to the fact that lockdowns kept people homebound.
“A deeper connection between pet parents and pets was also noticed as people had more time to give,” she says.
Founded in 2008, Heads Up For Tails has grown to become synonymous with pet couture in India. The core categories that the pet retail brand offers are pet food, treats, toys, and grooming supplies. “These categories get a lot of traction from customers,” Rashi says.
Earlier, most families chose popular breeds such as Labradors, Shi Tzu, Pugs, or Beagles. Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people adopting Indie dogs.
“They are very resilient breeds and are great with families. It is just nice to see that they are becoming part of families and going into homes,” Rashi says.
The founder says the company has an extensive portfolio with more than 5,000 products across the categories of grooming, nutrition, wellness, and lifestyle, and aims to reach a wider set of people.
The key strategy for now is to enter new markets and develop existing ones while growing their omnichannel presence.
“We just opened out 41st store and really want to be able to reach new people with products that are relevant and right for their pets,” Rashi says.
Rashi shares that initially funds and time went into building a solid product portfolio, but now “investment is being made in warehousing, logistics, and other backend segments”. The company is also focusing on building a strong internal team, developing their online base, and content creation.
The founder says Heads Up For Tails has “some market presence” in the US and Singapore, but the idea right now is to tap the potential of the India market and then eye international expansion.
“We have really big dreams and we know that a lot of our products are perfectly suited for the global market,” Rashi says.