Vet building a booming business for all creatures great and small

It has several of the ingredients of one of James Herriot's classics set in the 1930s and '40s – but with a modern spin for the computer age. Iain Booth's bright idea was to sell animals' food, medicines, toys and trinkets over the internet.

He began selling on eBay in February 2005, set up his own business in Thirsk – the real-life home of Darrowby – later that year and now has more than 200,000 customers, turning over just short of 10m.

It has been a rapid transformation for the man who trained in veterinary medicine rather than in entrepreneurship.

Mr Booth, 38, said: "There came a point in time when I thought: I can keep working as an assistant, become a partner – or do my own thing."

The Royal Veterinary College graduate said that other people had already been selling animal products on the internet, but with a high mark-up. So he began trading on eBay, selling a Feliway pheromone diffuser unit for stressed cats and then, in October 2005, set up Vet UK with his partner, Lyane Haywood, a research scientist.

The firm tries to deliver its products quickly, which Mr Booth said has been vital to its success, although it provides regular medicines rather than treatments needed urgently.

It is aimed mainly at the owners of dogs, cats and other small furry animals but has expanding equine, aquatics and bird sections. Vet UK also offers free advice on veterinary products and nutritionally balanced pet foods.

Mr Booth said the firm had been successful because it gave shoppers a wide choice at a reasonable price and delivered to their door.

"Currently, only around 50 per cent of pet owners have the time or funds to visit the vet regularly with their pets, and those that do often have only a short time slot for their veterinary consultation, which can lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction for both vet and customer. Vet UK was born from this frustration.

"The strategy behind the website was simple: give the customer what they want. If you get the web right, it just grabs you and takes you."

The website is simple and lacks the stylistic flourishes of larger businesses, but Mr Booth said this was deliberate because the firm wanted to be seen as a retailer and a vet, rather than simply a shop.

It fulfils more than 1,000 orders a day and Mr Booth said 40 per cent of this was repeat business.

The company, which has a 16,000 sq ft warehouse, wants to continue expanding, but Mr Booth said he was thinking more about the next two or three years, rather than five.

"It should be sustainable because we have just a few per cent of the market. The headaches will be the physical capacity. We are running at pretty much capacity – it is a good problem to have.

"I want to educate people about us and what we do. We want to get the people who don't go to the vet, who don't realise they can get it from us."

Mr Booth said their aim was to provide product information with researched selections of pharmaceutical supplies and pet goods at decent rates.

"Most importantly, Vet UK seems to be fulfilling its raison d'tre in helping all creatures great and small."