Expansion continues

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On 17 October Qualipet opened a 600 m2 store in Schaffhausen. The outlet retails aquarium and terrarium supplies among other things and also includes a Quali-Horse equestrian department. Further new stores are also likely to open this year in western Switzerland and in the German-speaking region of the country. In recent months, refitting of the “My Friends” stores acquired last year has been proceeding to plan, with the retail area of the outlet in Bellach being doubled in size. This store now also includes the aquatics and equestrian segments. The Qualipet store in Zug was closed, but the former “My Friends” store in Steinhausen, just a few kilometres away, has been considerably enlarged and a large aquarium department added. The former “My Friends” store in Root has also been closed and integrated into the Qualipet branch in nearby Dierikon. New brands To differentiate itself from its competitors, Qualipet recently added the “Happy Dog”/“Happy Cat” brands to its range. “Fitness Trainer” from the Italian company Nova Foods is another product newly introduced into the stores of the Swiss pet supplies chain. Other new pet food products to be introduced are “Beneful” and “Purina One” (the latter from 1 November). In the small mammal segment, which has been expanding steadily at Qualipet in the last few years, the “JR Farm” brand is a new addition to the range. Expansion of the range of stock has been driven by the desire to cater for the customers’ needs with a steady stream of attractive new products. These also include a complete line of ostrich meat chews, which are extremely popular according to chief buyer Fabian Boffa, and a product line that combines toy and treat and keeps a dog entertained for far longer than a conventional toy. These new items also feature in the new catalogue brought out by Qualipet on 20 October. The catalogue has 256 pages and a run of 450 000 copies is being distributed throughout Switzerland. In addition to new products, current trends are also being picked up on in the individual departments and realised in attractive presentation layouts. The observation that tarantulas are currently in great demand led to an increase in the supply of these pets, for instance. The rock landscapes created around the aquarium and terrarium wall have also had a positive effect, according to Fabian Boffa. Thus the Qualipet chief buyer detects highly satisfactory development in both product groups, due not…