Getting ahead down under

The company started up in 1954 when a Polish immigrant arrived in New Zealand and started a small pet business. His Polish name was Grenoski. He shortened it to Green, and his company R. Green Limited was established, offering around 100 basic pet items, most locally made in New Zealand. In the company’s early years in the 1950s, very few pet stores existed in New Zealand and most pet supplies were offered through garden stores. As post-war living standards improved, more people began to keep pets. Tropical fish started to be imported from Singapore, but there was a serious shortfall in accessories such as pumps and heater/thermostats, caused by the government’s import restrictions. Limited import licences were issued but goods were in short supply, and stocks rationed to good, paying customers. The value of companies such as R Green’s depended on the value of its import licences. Masterpet operates twelve pet product stores under the Pets World logo. The range includes live animals. In the early 1960s R Green Ltd was acquired by the Wootton family. The name change to Masterpet more accurately reflected the company’s activities, which focused solely on pets. Since then, Masterpet has taken up a lifetime commitment to meeting the needs of pets, their owners and the trade. In the 1960s and 1970s, business conditions and the standard of living continued to improve and Masterpet grew rapidly. Many new pet shops opened, particularly in the major cities of New Zealand. In these early years, the company sourced most of its requirements from Europe, especially Great Britain. Products were sourced from companies such as Tetra, Beaphar, Interpet, Armitage, Pet Mate, Sicce, Ferplast, Mason Cash, Golden Acres, Animal Lovers and Savic. Masterpet also imported extensively from the USA. Iams, Eukanuba, Superpet and Kaytees are household names. In the mid-seventies, as labour costs grew in Europe, factories manufacturing choke chains, combs, brushware, etc. moved first to Japan, then subsequently to Taiwan and latterly to mainland Asia. Despite the strong influence of Asia, Masterpet continued to source a large part of its requirements from Europe. The passion and commitment of John Wootton has been carried on by Wayne and Brent Wootton and their Masterpet team. The company has grown further with the acquisition of the leading national distributor Pets International Australia. Pets International Australia was renamed Masterpet Australia in 2002. The company was formerly…