TATTOO ARTIST INKS DEAL ON NEW STUDIO IN WORCESTER

Animal nutritionist opens pet food shop in Redditch

A young animal nutritionist has picked an ideal time to open his own pet food shop in Redditch.

Dev Gordhan has launched Earthly Pets in the wake of massive growth in pet ownership during the Covid pandemic and a growing interest in healthier dining options for pets.

Tattoo artist Hanan Qattan has secured a five-figure funding package from HSBC UK to open a new tattoo studio in Worcester town centre.

The entrepreneur has used the funding to purchase a two level 1,200 sq ft. property in Worcester’s Reindeer Court Arcade to launch Fox and Fortune Tattoo. The support from HSBC UK has also allowed Hanan to apply for planning permission to undertake renovation work to the listed building.

The new property allows Hanan to run a private studio while renting out further commercial space, which will allow her to take control of all the finances and run the business effectively for artists and clients.

The United Kingdom is the most tattooed nation in the world, according to Inkability, the tattoo listing website, with an estimated one in three young adults having at least one tattoo, and getting more tattoos done every year. Worldwide, the tattoo industry is worth an estimated £38 billion. Well over 40 per cent of all millennials have tattoos, and 92 per cent of people with tattoos are already looking for the next one.

Hanan said: “HSBC UK has been instrumental in enabling the opening of Fox and Fortune Tattoo, which is now an asset for life, as I now own the property. Our Relationship Manager at the bank, Vivek Joshi, has been incredible in taking the time to understand my business and my ambitions helping me to make this a reality. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

It is estimated that the UK has around 3,000 tattoo shops.

In total, people in the UK spend nearly £8 billion per year on their pets, that’s up more than 150 per cent from early 2000, and more than 55 per cent of pet owners live in towns and cities, with about one-third under the age of 40.

Dev is focused on ethical and natural pet food at the Alcester Arcade store.

“It was slow to start but things are really picking up now,” said Dev. Ian Parker, joint managing director at John Truslove, arranged the five-year tenancy on the shop.

He said: “This is clearly a case of the right business at the right time; it just needed the right premises.”