Big plans afoot at Fressnapf

There are big plans afoot at Fressnapf. The retail chain intends to run its category management and buying segments, which have previously been managed jointly, separately in the future. Under the leadership of division head Klaus Meyer-Kortenbach, category management is to develop a concept for greater harmonisation of the product ranges in individual countries in the next few months and will implement this without delay. At the same time, Fressnapf will work on expanding its international logistics further. These changes in its organisational structure will also have a direct impact on annual discussions with suppliers, which Fressnapf intends to conduct on a more international scale in the long term. The aim of the speciality chain is to harmonise purchase price structures for the countries in the euro zone. “The sea is getting rougher” At its Experience 2011 fair, staged under the logo “„einfach.besser.machen“ (Just do it better), Europe’s leading speciality retail chain presented numerous ideas for how it can differentiate itself further from its competitors in quality terms. “The sea is getting rougher,” noted proprietor and managing partner Torsten Toeller in an address to the fair forum that met with considerable interest. Toeller’s analysis of the situation was that a growing number of supermarket chains would include pet food products in their ranges; more and more speciality retailers would try to copy Fressnapf, and the Internet might attain a market volume of around € 250 million this year with an increase in sales of approx. 30 per cent. But the Fressnapf boss left listeners in no doubt that his pet supplies chain was optimally prepared to tackle the competition. According to his prediction, Fressnapf will achieve sales of around € 1.4 bn and a total of approximately 1 220 stores across Europe by the end of the year. Here Toeller anticipates an increase of 4 to 5 per cent in sales compared with the previous year. The Krefeld franchise chain has big plans. The range of stock in the Fressnapf stores is to be expanded and the store design improved by implementation of the future store concept, announced the Fressnapf boss. He exhorted the franchisees to do their bit and not to rest on their laurels. Toeller considers ongoing investment in professional consultancy a priority: over 2 000 Fressnapf employees were trained in the Fressnapf Academy last year. To be able to extend the training services, a new building that will extend the academy by a…