Martin Kowatsch receives Franchise Award Austria

Martin Kowatsch, a long-standing franchise partner of Das Futterhaus, received the Franchise Award Austria in the Franchise Partner of the Year 2025 category. This prize, which is awarded once a year, is presented by the Austrian Franchise Association to recognise franchise systems and partners that have achieved an exceptionally good performance.

Kowatsch has been a franchise partner in Austria from the very beginning and has played a key role in establishing Das Futterhaus on the Austrian market. “In August, it will be 15 years since we opened our group's first Das Futterhaus store in Leobersdorf,” Kowatsch recalls the beginnings of his franchise partnership. “When I said in one place or another at the time that my goal was to open two or three such pet shops, many people - from the banks downwards - thought I was more or less crazy. At the same time, this was an incentive to develop a sustainably successful business.”

Shortly after launching the system in Austria, Kowatsch was honoured by the association as the best franchise newcomer partner. Today, he operates 14 stores. As a member of the Austrian advisory board and the franchise system advisory board, he has been committed to the further optimization of the Das Futterhaus franchise system for years.

Around 500 franchise systems are active in Austria and, with an annual turnover of 12 bn euros, are an important domestic economic factor. “Franchising is a partnership model. It allows the individual partners to focus on the essentials,” says Kowatsch. „This is also an advantage in challenging times. The partnership-based interaction between the system provider, our own teams and the other franchise partners in our system generates energy and perspectives. I am convinced that we will continue to play a very important role in our sector and with our customers in the future,” says the award winner confidently. He particularly appreciates the strategic development of Das Futterhaus as a system provider.