A foothold in Italy

Founded by Franco Castegnaro and Maria Luisa Viale in 1987, the company General Pet Manufacturing srl started producing cushions and beds for cats and dogs for the domestic market under the “Bengy” brand. Seven years later, in 1994, the first contacts were established between General Pet and Trixie Germany and business soon followed. “General Pet became a reliable business partner for us”, says Volker Haak, general manager of Trixie Germany, “and the good business relations together with a positive and growing market led to the steady growth of General Pet.”
General Pet was established in 1987 and is now being renamed Trixie Italia.
Extensions were necessary in 2000 and 2002 to store the increasing number of sales articles as well as to maintain production. Now eleven employees in the office and warehouse and 25 representatives throughout Italy ensure a quick and careful turnaround of incoming orders, which can be as many as 40 per day. In 2004, after ten years of successful cooperation between General Pet and Trixie, the Italian company has now become an official distribution partner and on 28 October changed its name to Trixie Italia.
The company originally started out manufacturing dog beds amongst other articles.
“We are pleased with this move and look forward to a continued successful partnership”, comments Volker Haak. The Italian market has increased to double figures for Trixie over the years. And even greater growth is expected for next year.
At a glance
Trixie Germany was founded 30 years ago by Bonnik Hansen – still a general manager of the company today – and his wife. He describes the last 30 years as “an unprecedented success story”. Hansen started out with his wife in 1974 in a retail area of just 60 m². Within two years the company had to move premises and its staff complement increased to seven, including a field sales team of three.
Trixie remained at this location for ten years before deciding in 1986 on a new building comprising 1,000 m² of warehousing and 200 m² of office space for its 15 employees. 16 years down the line, even this building was too cramped and Trixie had to build again, this time in Tarp: a warehouse covering 13,000 m², a 2,000 m² administration block and a workforce of 150, plus 24 field sales staff. But the new warehouse too is now bursting at the seams and is being extended by another 10,000 m². Trixie will then have a site covering 50,000 m² in all, with a 20,000 m² warehouse that can hold 24,000 Euro-pallets.
www.trixie…