Developing the pet ­industry together

‘Our industry is still doing well, we’re still earning good money,’ said every retailer I spoke to during a short tour of Austria. Our magazine also shows that everyone is stepping on the gas: the German chain Kölle Zoo has not only launched its first franchise store, but also expanded abroad for the first time, to Belgium.

Aquael, a Polish pet company, has joined forces with the Plac˘ek Group, the leading pet retail operator in Central and Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, Suziria from Ukraine, led by its charismatic co-owner Polina Kosharna, continues to grow, despite the ongoing war.

And Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo, Europe’s largest pet retail chain, is as active and innovative as ever: It has appointed a new CEO and opened a new Asian office in Hong Kong. It has also provided new hardware for employees in 2,000 stores and opened new urban stores in European countries. Founder Torsten Toeller will remain an active member of the Board of Directors and will focus even more strongly on the group’s long-term strategic direction.

So, everything’s fine? Well, the pet industry is still doing relatively well, as many people would rather cut back on their own needs rather than those of their beloved pets. This benefits pet shops. Nevertheless, not everything is rosy, of course. The global economic situation remains challenging, with many uncertainties ahead. This makes planning difficult for pet food manufacturers and retailers alike, whether they are large chains or small, independent pet shops ‘on the high street’.

But it’s not all bad news! Quite the contrary, in fact. And we want to address this issue again this year at our International Pet Conference. Together, we will work to find new ways to develop the industry further. We will search jointly for strategies to advance the industry even further. That’s why we have chosen our motto for this edition: ‘Pets, People, Progress – Developing the pet industry together’. And we’re absolutely confident that everyone will be able to take away valuable inspiration and ideas for their business. The IPC will take place on 13 and 14 October in Copenhagen, Denmark with the popular get-together evening scheduled for 12 October. Unfortunately, places are limited for organisational reasons.

We will also be presenting the Personality of the Year award and – following a vote by the participants – the Best Newcomer award. Register now to take advantage of our early bird discount!

With this in mind, I wish you a good start to what will hopefully…