The squeeze is on

Four chains and speciality cooperatives account for the majority of sales transactions in the pet supplies trade in Germany. The clear market leader is the Fressnapf Group. Based in Krefeld, the retail chain had 868 outlets in Germany and net sales of € 1119 mio.
by the end of last year. Fressnapf also owns Kölle Zoo and Megazoo, the large-format destination stores that sell a wide range of pets. This year Fressnapf plans to open ten new stores in its domestic market.
Pet product retail group Das Futterhaus is becoming increasingly strong in Germany. By the end of 2015, the company, which is based in Elmshorn in northern Germany, operated 290 stores in the country. Das Futterhaus has attracted attention with its brand new sustainability concept, which is unique as yet in the German pet supplies sector: in four of its stores, the company is putting the "organic" and "unpackaged" aspects at the forefront of its business in special, visually highlighted departments.  
Another important player in the German pet supplies trade is the speciality cooperative Sagaflor, based in Kassel. It operates over 400 outlets in Germany, of which the 150-plus stores belonging to the Zoo & Co. franchise system and over 100 stores under the Tier Total operating concept play an important role in the German pet product market. Zoo & Co. recently opened a pilot store in Würzburg with an entirely new shopfitting design, which is intended to act as a test platform for innovations. The fourth of the leading pet store operators is the Zooma/Zookauf pet supplies cooperative. This is based in Gießen and Hückeswagen and has a good reputation in the sector above all as a concept partner for independent pet shops.

Apart from these big four companies, which are probably responsible for at least 80 per cent of pet product sales as a whole, garden centres and DIY stores such as Dehner, Hornbach, Obi and Hagebau are worth mentioning, as are companies that concentrate primarily on rural locations (Landfuxx, Agravis, Deuka). There are still many small and medium-sized independents also, although the significance of these is diminishing increasingly in the German market. Whether due to the stiff competition or problems in finding someone to continue the business, many small, owner-operated shops have had to close in the last few years. However, small niche businesses concentrating on a special field such as barfing or aquascaping have initiated a new trend. Some…