30 years of success

The company was founded by Piotr Matuszewski back in 1980 and traded initially under the name Aquarium Poland. The experienced aquarist specialised in the breeding and export of ornamental fish. Eight years later, he added a small range of aquarium products that he imported himself. Four years on from this, Piotr Matuszewski brought out his own “Vitapol” brand range of food products. This range now includes products for rodents, birds, reptiles, cats and fish. The company’s wholesale operation was launched in 1989 with a cooperative agreement with the German firm Flexi. Cooperation was initiated with Trixie a few years later, and since 2005 P.W. Hobby has been the exclusive distributor for Trixie in Poland. Other brands imported by the wholesale company include Interquell (Germany) and in the last year also Fop (Italy). The company has also developed its own line of chew products for dogs, which it imports itself. “Thanks to the constant development of the cooperative operations, we are one of the biggest importers of pet products in Poland. The foreign brands in our portfolio account for almost half of the total turnover of the company,” says Sara Matuszewska, daughter of the company’s founder with responsibility for marketing. Located in Brzoza in the north of Poland, the company runs a warehouse covering 8 000 m², with space for 1 200 euro pallets. P.W. Hobby has more than 250 employees and supplies 100 wholesalers and 1 500 shops with the aid of 11 sales representatives. Important private labels In the international pet supplies sector, P.W. Hobby is associated primarily with the “Vitapol” and “Lolo Pets” brands. “Lolo Pets” was established in 2005. It was conceived for sales in supermarkets and offers a range of products for dogs. “The leading ‘Vitapol’ brand covers nearly 450 items including around 60 flavours of ‘Smakers’ for big parrots,” Sara Matuszewska continues. The brand offers also a basic line of complete food in doypacks, cartons and buckets for rodents and birds, and snacks, drops, lime, hay, litter and sand. P.W.Hobby’s ranges also include the “Premium” line of vitamins for birds, “Vita”, “Vita Pond”, “Vitapol Magic” and “Dietetic”, “Weekend Style”, “Aroma”, colour-enhancing food for canaries, and litter for cats. “This wide range of products is the result of the needs of our customers and their pets due to constantly changing trends and innovations,” says Sara Matuszewska. The brands named “Lolo Pets” and “LoLo Pets Classic” include not…