Setting new impulses

“Two strong family businesses with a deep passion for aquariums and fishkeeping are combining their expertise to offer even more innovative products and solutions for aquarium and pond enthusiasts. ” This is how Sera announced the acquisition of Interpet in a press release at the end of April. “Our partnership is a significant step towards a successful future,” emphasises Maximilian Deharde, managing director of Sera.

Interpet had been part of the “Central Garden and Pet” family since 2004 and, in addition to the Interpet, Blagdon and Aquagarden brands, also brings a strong market presence in the UK and innovative product solutions to the partnership. In the pond sector in particular, Sera’s product range will be significantly expanded as a result of the integration.

Sera itself contributes its strong market position in Europe as well as an extensive range of food and care products for aquariums, garden ponds and terrariums. Together, the two companies have more than a century of experience in the industry.

At Zoomark in Bologna, Sera and Interpet presented themselves together for the first time and gave visitors an insight into their extensive range - with a cross-section of almost 1 300 Sera and over 600 Interpet products.

PET worldwide editor Oliver Mengedoht spoke to Maximilian Deharde about the merger and the associated goals.

Mr Deharde, how did the contact with Interpet come about?

The first contact was made via our Sales and Marketing Manager Simon Gierlings. We had already visited the UK two weeks earlier to gain a better understanding of the local market. In September, the idea became more concrete: it seemed like a good opportunity to expand our Anglo-American portfolio – we still see a lot of potential in the pond segment in particular.

Due to its tradition, England has a very unique approach to water in the garden or on the patio. The gentle rippling creates positive emotions - especially in times when the daily news often has a stressful effect, a pond offers a calming antidote.

During the discussions, it became clear that Sera and Interpet are an excellent match in many respects: Sera is strong in food, care products and medicines, while Interpet impresses with its technical expertise and care products. They also harmonised very well on a cultural level.

Why did Central separate from Interpet?

Central is a group with a turnover of around 3 bn US dollars. Interpet was the only foreign subsidiary whose turnover was too low for the Group. In addition, access to the European market proved to be less effective than expected since the takeover in 2004. Central is now focussing more on the US home market again.

The takeover by Sera is remarkable for the industry - at a time when many companies tend to consolidate or withdraw. The aquarium industry is stagnating in some areas and new impetus has been rare recently. We want to provide precisely this impetus to revitalise the hobby.

There are many newcomers who have different requirements to hobby aquarists. The aquarium should work simply, take little time, look good and provide a healthy habitat for its inhabitants.

What changes does the Sera Group bring with it?

Our focus is on development and sales. Initially, production will remain in the UK, but it will be consolidated in the next step. Apart from production, everything else will be brought together – this is what we call “Better together”. The aim is to combine the best of both worlds. Together, we are stronger than the sum of our parts: a powerful team.

The brands and products will be retained, and the takeover has also been well received by the employees. Interpet brings a great deal of technical expertise, while we contribute our experience in the fish food sector. Legally, this is a complete takeover, but we see ourselves as a group - with Interpet and Sera as strong brands under one roof.

In the long term, Interpet will be our gateway to the US market. Sera had lost considerable market share in the UK as a result of Brexit - the market has been redistributed and is now very price-driven and competitive. We want to regain lost ground.

Sera has not been the strongest player in the pond technology sector to date - Blagdon has a strong market position here, particularly in the UK and the USA. We will also introduce new products together internationally. Our fish food products have been developing positively in the USA for 20 years.

How is Sera dealing with the current political and economic uncertainties?

At the moment, it is often unclear how high any shipping costs – for example for containers – will actually end up being. However, this uncertainty affects all market participants equally. That’s why it’s important to remain calm in the current phase and keep a close eye on developments.

How do you assess the prospects for aquaristics?

We hope that our partnership will provide an impetus for new ideas in the market. Aquaristics is a great hobby - which we want to make it easy for newcomers to experience. You need a filter, heater, aquarium and much more to create a functioning system. Each supplier has its own strengths, which is why we are dependent on each other to a certain extent.

Our aim is to rekindle interest in aquaristics and thus enable the market as a whole to grow. The “cake” has become smaller in recent years - but why shouldn’t aquaristics be able to grow again, as was the case with cats, for example? As an industry, we definitely still have some homework to do.