A good atmosphere in Birmingham

“The show went superbly for us,” enthused Grzegorz Seweryn, the export manager of Polish aquatics firm Tropical. Great interest was shown in the company’s products, which are marketed in the British and Irish pet product retail sector by its distribution partner Aquatic Solutions. And Grzegorz Seweryn was impressed by the number of new contacts made at the fair. Tropical was no exception, either: most of the other foreign companies with a stand at the UK’s leading pet product show, Glee Petindex in Birmingham, expressed satisfaction with the response. The UK market has the highest number of pets in Europe, and its potential is rated accordingly as high. Versele Laga is also looking to grow in the UK. The company, based in Deinze in Belgium, occupies a leading position in the UK market with its pigeon feed and is now working on positioning its products for other animals more strongly in the market. Versele Laga’s wide range, comprising approx. 5 000 products for all animal groups, and its high profile in the UK are to the company’s advantage. Its appearance at Glee Petindex offered a good opportunity to present its product assortment to new and existing customers. Guaber UK presented its pet range in a completely new guise. The Italian company Ferplast had a large stand in Birmingham. After France and Germany, the UK is Ferplast’s biggest market in terms of sales, and the company has a UK branch based in Wigan. Ferplast used the exhibition mainly to unveil its new brand identity (“The new pet generation”, cf. PET in Europe 9-10/05). The company’s primary aim has been to transform the Ferplast trademark into a brand. New products exhibited by the accessories manufacturer included the “Atlas Car”, a new pet carrier for cars. Available in two different sizes, “Atlas Car” comes complete with wide grilles for internal ventilation, two-way sliding doors with a secure spring latch and two compartments for storing all the accessories that may come in useful for the trip. The “Libera” bird cage concept and the aquatics range marketed under the “Marex” brand were other highlights of the Ferplast stand. The mood at the show among most of the British exhibitors was good too. The appearance of Italian firm Guaber, which took over the UK company Pet & Garden Manufacturing a year ago, prompted some excitement. Guaber UK, the British subsidiary, presented a new brand image in Birmingham: the entire range of pet products is now marketed under the “Vapet” brand, spanning…