Rapid expansion in France

Since the company arrived in the French market in September 2004 with the opening of a store near Mulhouse, the addition of a further eleven outlets has created a good basis for continued rapid expansion throughout the country. The Pile Poils head office has been located since August 2005 in Soultz, Alsace and has a staff of eight people. Pile Poils has succeeded in raising its profile in France considerably through the circulation of leaflets and poster campaigns. Now the company not only has stores in Alsace but has also extended its operations to Franche Comté, Burgundy and Champagne. Pile Poils has even appeared recently in the south of France, opening a store in Carcassonne. To achieve market leadership in the French pet supplies business, the company is stepping up its activities: four new openings in the first half of 2006 are to be followed by four or five more stores by the end of the year. Pile Poils is backed by the German franchise chain Das Futterhaus, one of Europe's leading pet supplies retailers with over 160 stores. Guido Arnold is the German company's master franchisee for the French market. The chief obstacle to rapid expansion in Arnold's eyes is the difficulty of cutting through bureaucratic red tape to obtain planning permission for his outlets, but in Gilbert Beckert he has an experienced aide to take charge of the expansion strategy. With his extensive knowledge of the French legal system and his skill and contacts, Beckert has been successful in speeding up the expansion of Pile Poils. The stores have an average retail area of approx. 500 m² and offer a comprehensive range of food and accessory products. In the pet food segment, the emphasis is on high-quality dry food products, and brands that can be bought in the big hypermarkets only play a minor role. Pile Poils does not sell live animals. Guido Arnold and his team continue to detect a certain level of reserve among customers when a new store opens, although that soon changes, which is why high growth rates are being achieved in the first Pile Poils stores to open. Only the store in Vesoul has returned disappointing results, and this is to be closed at the end of the year. The company seeks out young, professionally competent and outgoing candidates when recruiting new staff. It aims to cement customer loyalty through a friendly approach and the provision of competent advice, along with regular loyalty promotions. This is how Pile Poils succeeds in winning over a growing number…