Pets at Home UK has named MG OMD as its new media agency of record at the conclusion of a competitive pitch process managed by the Aperto Partnership.

Pitted against Starcom and incumbent Carat in a three-way final process, the contract is set to take effect from early next year. According to Campaign, the retailer’s account is worth an estimated £19 million.

The decision was ultimately taken to go in a new direction, despite having worked with Dentsu-owned Carat for the last decade, with Pets at Home marketing director, Madeline Shaw thanking them for long-term input.

“The responses from all three agencies were of incredible quality. However, MG OMD presented a clear standout. They blew us away with their understanding of Pets at Home and our market,” Shaw said.

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“Their bold and innovative approach and impressive local activation credentials were key to appointing them as our partner. We also felt an instant chemistry; we’re a down-to-earth team of people who are hugely passionate about our craft and Pets at Home’s purpose. We’re looking forward to working together to support our customers and their much-loved pets.”

The deal will now see MG OMD tailor its vaunted “agency as a platform” model to Pets at Home’s particular business and customer needs – spanning media, content and commerce.

MG OMD CEO, Natalie Bell added: “Pets at Home’s strong vision of the future demands equally forward-looking media solutions – as their media partner, MG OMD will bring our future-fit expertise in digital, retail and local marketing to support their ambitions and drive growth through a market-leading, data-driven approach.”