In the fast lane

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In the first quarter of 2008, the Swiss pet product chain Qualipet opened three new stores in Romanel, Muri and Aubonne. All are situated in busy locations. The store in Romanel is opposite the Migros shopping centre there, the one in Muri is by a motorway intersection in the immediate vicinity of a Media Markt outlet and the Aubonne store is next to the car park of an Ikea branch.
Another new Qualipet Center is scheduled to open in July. Five My-Friends outlets are also due to be revamped by the autumn, with some being enlarged, and will reopen trading under the Qualipet logo. Two new Qualipet stores are also to be launched in the autumn. This brings the “pet” retail area available to Swiss pet lovers across the country to over 57 000 m², making Qualipet by far the largest speciality pet chain in Switzerland. And the present rate of expansion is to be maintained in the future too, declares managing director Rolf Boffa. The company’s target of passing the SF-100-million-mark by 2009 is going to be reached by Qualipet this year, and even surpassed by a considerable margin. Rolf Boffa expects his stores to achieve double-digit growth in sales this year, like they did in 2007.
New concept for certain stores
In addition to the new openings already mentioned, Qualipet recently launched its first separate aquarium and terrarium branch in the Glatt Center, Switzerland’s biggest shopping centre, in Wallisellen close to Zurich. The store operates under the Qualipet-Atlantis logo and has a retail area of 350 m². “We only use this concept in very busy locations or centres. Thanks to the lavish, attractive decoration and the special atmosphere in the store, we have already secured a leasing agreement in another large shopping centre,” Rolf Boffa told PET in Europe. Rock and jungle landscapes designed by the company Rockset form the backdrop to the aquarium and terrarium department, and these have proved particularly successful.
542 people are employed by Qualipet to take care of the four-legged, furry, feathered and amphibious creatures in the company’s stores. Qualipet also makes a point of investing heavily in educating and training its staff, to ensure that pet owners everywhere are served by employees trained in caring for pets. “Virtually all our employees own pets themselves,” says Rolf Boffa. Qualipet currently has 62 apprentices on its books too, so as to be able to handle any staffing problems that might arise.
“Qualipet…