Shopping should be an experience

Pets Place is a family business, and we want our customers not only to know this, but to feel it too. The shop is brimming with a love for animals – naturally, customers will find everything they need for their pets here, but what really sets us apart is the warm and personal atmosphere. With its flagship store in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Pets Place made a statement in the Dutch pet market in the summer of 2024. In the 2,100-square-metre shop, particular emphasis is placed on the shopping experience.  

’Opening a flagship store fits in with our strategy of opening larger shops throughout the Netherlands,‘ says Ard Malenstein, CEO of IJsvogel Retail, the parent company of Pets Place. ’Shopping centres are particularly interesting to us as they already hold great appeal for consumers. Furthermore, shopping centres are generally very accessible and offer free parking. This makes The Wall, which is also located in the heart of the country, an ideal location for us. Every day, 200,000 motorists drive past on the A2, of whom an estimated half own one or more pets. These are all potential customers who, on their way to work or home, can quickly and easily pop into our shop to buy a bag of food or litter and take it away in their car.‘

The flagship store has been designed differently from Pets Place’s existing branches. Malenstein: ’We place great emphasis on the experience. Among other things, this means that plenty of space has been set aside for live animals, such as aquariums with fish and a bird section. Furthermore, particular attention has been paid in the shop to products such as scratching posts and dog beds, which are increasingly being designed to match people’s home décor. The shop therefore feels like a living room.‘ The branch in Utrecht was also the first to feature a health centre. This is still a new concept for Pets Place, where pet owners can seek advice from veterinary assistants. ’We will be placing even greater emphasis on preventative care,‘ says Malenstein. ’The cost of veterinary care has risen sharply in recent years, and inflation has also made other everyday products more expensive. Thanks to the health stations, pet owners can come to our veterinary assistants with their questions and receive expert advice, for example on the correct diet for their pet, dental care, and healthy skin and coat…