In the 20th year of the company's founding, Fressnapf, Europe's leading retailer of pet food and accessories, has once again recorded a double-digit increase in turnover. In the 2009 financial year the Krefeld-based franchiser generated a turnover of just under 1.2 billion euros. This corresponds to a year-over-year plus of 12.2 percent. In Germany, traditionally Fressnapf's strongest market, the specialty chain generated a turnover of 830.9 million euros and continued its strong growth with an increase of nine percent. Fressnapf increased turnover by more than four percent in existing stores in Germany. And the company is experiencing even stronger growth in other European countries. In eleven countries in which Fressnapf largely operates under the name Maxi Zoo, 2009 was a year of exceptional growth, with a turnover of 356.1 million euros – an increase of 20.5 percent compared to the previous year.

A promising future: "Future Fressnapf" and XXL

Parallel to the positive sales trend, the number of Fressnapf stores in Germany and Europe grew considerably once again in 2009. 91 stores opened last year, 39 of which in Germany. As of the period end on 31.12.2009, the total number of stores rose to 1,079: 761 in Germany; 318 in other European countries. “We're modernizing one store after the other, and are truly giving each one 'a fresh coat of paint': 'Future Fressnapf' is what we call our new store design, which incorporates fresh, bright colours, realistic decoration elements and furnishings with an emotional appeal to the customers that encourages them to buy,” explains Fressnapf CEO Torsten Toeller. This not only makes the Fressnapf stores more modern, but also larger. The number of XXL stores in the Fressnapf store landscape is growing – large stores that offer customers a shopping experience with up to 1,500 square metres of sales area and exciting animal presentations. There are currently eleven XXL stores in Germany, and the first XXLs have opened in Luxembourg, France and Belgium. “In the long term, more than 200 XXL stores are conceivable in Germany alone,” says Toeller.

Hardly affected by the economic crisis

“To date, we've hardly been affected by the economic crisis. The pet industry is a relatively robust industry,” says Toeller, explaining the solid growth. As such, the company continued on its course of growth last year. The 1,000th Fressnapf store opened in Munich in June 2009. One quarter later, a new distribution warehouse in the Middle Franconian city of Feuchtwangen started operations with 20,000 square metres of storage space. The warehouse complements the central warehouse in Krefeld and will supply goods to around 400 stores in southern Germany. Fressnapf invested 16 million euros in the warehouse. An additional six million euros was spent on photovoltaic installations, which will provide a sustainable means of power generation in Feuchtwangen just like at the Krefeld warehouse. At the end of November Fressnapf launched its online shop, which lets pet owners in Germany shop from around 6,000 products for dogs, cats, mice and other pets 24 hours a day and have these shipped right to their home. The number of employees grew last year by roughly 1,000, for a total of 8,000. Just under 7,000 of these work in stores in Germany. Fressnapf is set to create an additional 1,000 jobs in 2010, and invest around 50 million euros in operations in Germany as well as in international expansion efforts. Nearly 100 new stores are planned for Germany and the eleven other European countries.

Fressnapf celebrates its 20th anniversary

Fressnapf has long become an international trade company that has for years maintained and expanded its market leadership in the majority of the countries in which it is active. Fressnapf's success story actually started with a setback: In 1990, entrepreneur Torsten Toeller at the age of just 24 years opened a specialty pet store in Erkelenz in North-Rhine Westphalia called “Freßnapf”. He was faced with going bankrupt only six months later. So Toeller changed his sales concept. He doubled the selection of products and drastically lowered the prices. In doing so, he paved the way for the success of Fressnapf Tiernahrungs GmbH, which combined the best of both worlds – a specialty pet store plus a discounter = specialty discounter – and would revolutionize the European pet market. In 2010 we are celebrating our 20th anniversary together with all of our employees. “We've grown, but we haven't forgotten our roots: We are still a flexible, fast moving and unconventional medium-sized business,” says Toeller.

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