A mood of optimism in the sector  

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The eleventh staging of the International Pet Fair in Lodz has witnessed the show develop from a traditional event into an important meeting place for the Polish pet sector.
8 200 visitors were in attendance during the three days of the show – an increase of 58 per cent compared with 2007. 70 exhibitors from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany were present at the show, with Polish importers, wholesalers and manufacturers accounting for the majority. There might have been a considerably larger contingent of exhibitors if the event hadn’t taken place on the same weekend as the much bigger Zoomark show in Bologna (Italy). Although the fair management in Lodz was aware of the problem, it wasn’t possible to move the fair date on account of the breed exhibitions taking place in parallel to the show.
The first show day (Friday) was reserved for trade visitors. Polish pet supplies retailers predominated, taking the opportunity to exchange experience in relation to the structural transformation currently underway in the Polish speciality retail trade.
Polish pet product expertise
Polish firms above all took the opportunity to introduce themselves to the trade visitors attending. One example was Dako-Art from Sroda Wielkopolska, a manufacturer of dog treats and other food products for small mammals, cage birds and wild birds. The company was established in 1987 and has been run since 2002 by Anna Botcharewska and Piotr Roszak. It employs approximately 40 people in its production facility manufacturing products chiefly for private label customers in Sweden, Finland and Germany. The company also exports its own “Dako-Art” brand. Dingo Ltd. in Bydgoszcz is a manufacturer of leads, grooming accessories and toys for dogs and cats. The firm exports to over 20 countries worldwide.
Germapol in Gostycyn is concentrating on a specialist field that is still relatively new to Poland. Its proprietor Jaroslav Legowik specialises in the import and distribution of grooming products, bringing in brands such as Wahl, Moser, Oster and Aesculap. He also offers products from Bozita and Littermaid. Legowik considers Aesculap products in particular to represent the premium brand in the grooming range, and he supplies these to a rapidly growing number of grooming studios in Poland. He says that Germapol has already provided equipment to 60 per cent of all grooming studios in the country.
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