“Sell more live pets”

Upheaval in shopfitting: Two well-known and renowned companies in the pet industry, Aquafeeling France and Juwel Ladenbau, filed for bankruptcy this year. In a LinkedIn post, Matthew Bubear, founder and CEO of Casco Pet, expressed his regret at the closure of these two companies, despite them being Casco Pet's competitors. He offered his sympathy to the owners and employees of the two insolvent companies, and appealed to pet shops to continue selling live animals.

Bubear argues that, while removing live animals from pet shops may be profitable for companies in the short term, in the long term it will lead to the decline of the pet shop industry. “If consumers can't get to know your pets and buy them in your shops, they won't need your hardware and consumables either”, he emphasises. “Instead, your customers will buy online and prioritise convenience over the in-store shopping experience”, says the industry expert.

However, Bubear does not believe there is a crisis in shopfitting in the pet segment, pointing to the growth of his own company, Casco Pet. Casco Pet acquired much of Juwel Ladenbau's equipment in a sale and is prepared to support former customers of the two insolvent companies with spare parts and new equipment.