Focusing on organic growth

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The first Pet's Place store opened 19 years ago. Since then the speciality retail chain, which currently operates 195 stores on a franchising basis, has grown continuously and opened new outlets every year. The result of this is that the older stores now look markedly different to the newer ones. To create a uniform corporate design, the IJsvogel Group is embarking on a scheme to gradually revamp the outer façades of its stores in the next few months. It has commissioned an external contractor with this task. And that's not all: since Pet's Place has recently acquired a new logo, plans are also in hand to produce a standard design for all decoration and advertising material as well as staff workwear. Striving for category management The creation of a category management system is another focus of attention in the next few months at Pet's Place. To this end a new EPOS system is being used that facilitates seamless evaluation of all sales processes. The entire product range in the stores is also to be repositioned and standardised to a greater extent shortly. Various range modules have been conceived for this, which the head office staff will implement in the stores together with the franchisees. Slow movers will be removed from the range, with the result that the bird segment will be cut down. On the other hand, product groups that are doing well, such as the dog and cat segments, are to be expanded. Reptile products are also to be pushed more strongly in large-format stores in the future. The head office intends to concentrate more closely on increasing the expertise of its franchisees too, with regular training seminars to be scheduled covering relevant spheres such as improving sales technique. In the second half of the year, the IJsvogel Group aims to devote its efforts to expansion once more. Director Ard Malenstein anticipates opening up to five new outlets this year, although some individual stores will also be closed. He says: "We want to focus our attention chiefly on organic growth." In Spain the situation is different: the first ten stores are expected to open there by the end of May, with stores in Madrid and on the Balearic Islands as well as in the Barcelona area. By the end of the year Ard Malenstein expects to have launched 20 Pet's Place stores there. Due to the standardisation of the stores, the intention to open a pilot store for large retail areas in Rotterdam has been put back for the…