Shades of the South Pacific in this fantastic themed store

A huge koi pond complete with waterfall awaits visitors in the foyer.
Starting out from tiny farm zoos integrated into garden centres in Stuttgart and Heilbronn, company founder Kurt Landes and current managing director Matthias Pohl have over the last few years created a model company in the pet sector that now employs over 200 people. Large-format themed stores set up by the company during the last eleven years in Stuttgart, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe and now Ludwigshafen have been optimized continuously such that the standard attained is matched by few, if any, outlets worldwide. Kölle-Zoo’s defection from the Sagaflor retail cooperative to Europe’s biggest speciality retail chain Fressnapf two years ago caused a major stir. In addition to its themed outlets, the company operates six Fressnapf stores without live animals in southern Germany. 
View of the aviary.
Two years of hard work went into the opening of the new store in Ludwigshafen: an internal pro-ject team was set up under the stewardship of Justin Guest, head of the garden pond department at Kölle-Zoo, and other themed pet product stores worldwide were visited to pick up ideas.
Project manager Justin Guest had a substantial input into the design of the new store.
Several influences have left their mark on the new store, which boasts an affiliated veterinary clinic and dog grooming salon and underlines the high le-vel of competence and professional know-how of the entire Kölle-Zoo team. Half of the 2 700 m²  sales area has been devoted to aquarium products, and the aquarium layout as a whole extends over a Near-record length of 47 m. The fish display tanks have a total volume of around 350 000 l and contain more than 2 000 varieties of fish, ranging from small neons,  piranhas and rare discus varieties, to blacktip reef sharks. Unusual display tanks containing fish, stone corals and anemones  make the store an exciting experience even for marine aquarium enthusiasts.
A delicacy to tempt marine aquarium enthusiasts: a display tank with living stones.
Huge display tanks are a typical feature of the store.
At the entrance to the store, shoppers are greeted by a huge pond feature surrounded by a spectacular artificial wall of rock. Two bridges, each insulated to deaden footstep noise, span the pond containing valuable koi carp, the dearest costing over 16 000 euro (!). Plans are in hand for a huge koi house outside that is currently expected to open in spring 2004. This will feature 14 further tanks and a…