Bringing expertise to the market

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Provet Holding in Lyssach comprises the companies Provet, Petco and Heiland Schweiz. While Provet supplies exclusively veterinarians and Heiland Schweiz takes care of the medical profession, Petco distributes Hill's products to pet product retailers and breeders, acting as exclusive distributor for Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Since 2002, Petco's fortunes have been guided by industry expert Daniel Knobloch: "In the Swiss speciality trade we are the market leader with Hill's, way ahead of other premium brands." Daniel Knobloch attributes this successful performance above all to the fact that nearly every vet in Switzerland recommends Hill's products, and pet owners then act on this recommendation. Added to this is the fact that the quality and acceptance of Hill's products have increased sharply in recent years. The pet product trade is looked after by 13 field sales employees, who also attend to the needs of breeders and supply them with puppy starter packs among other things. Veterinary shops setting a trend Above and beyond food, an increasing number of veterinarians are also offering treats and accessories. A so-called vet shop opened recently in 200 m² premises in the west of Switzerland. In Provet's exhibition and training rooms it has set up a 150 m² sample shop, which enables veterinarians to see how they can expand their sales with treat and accessory products. Four specially trained field sales staff spend their time on the road visiting veterinary customers. If a vet buys products from the Petco range, Provet will supply him with products from its sister company. "We observe a strict separation between the divisions," says Patrick von Gunten, a member of Provet Holding's supervisory board. This development is naturally being monitored very carefully at Petco too. In addition to Hill's products, various treat lines and accessory ranges are offered, including "Greenies", for example, products from Alter Ego and the product lines of Red Dingo, Kong, Hamilton and Danish Design. A collar and lead range from Diamond Dogs has just been introduced. The biggest range, however, is the assortment of dog beds and cushions produced by a major manufacturer of plush fabrics in Germany. The products are developed and designed in-house at Petco. Apart from the Hill's products, the entire product spectrum at Petco is the responsibility of product manager Daniela Chirico: "We create around 30 collections of…