A classic of the sector

Speaking to representatives of aquatics companies at Interzoo in May, it was clear that a modest degree of optimism existed regarding the development of the segment this year. In recent years, sales for the aquatics segment as a whole have generally been stagnant following a steady small decline for a number of years.Hobby under the spotlightFishkeeping as a hobby is an important element of the entire pet supplies sector worldwide. It accounts for a substantial share of sales in the respective markets. In many countries, dogs and cats, for instance, have not yet acquired the status of family member as they have in France, Italy and Germany, for example. In the Czech Republic, Poland and Turkey, fishkeeping is traditionally well established as a hobby and derives primarily from the sport of angling. The Czech Republic topped the table of tropical fish exporters in Europe for many years, and big aquarium installations are a standard feature of Czech and Polish pet stores. In Turkey, the aquatics segment remains the preserve of speciality shops to a large extent; around 600 of the1 600 pet stores in Istanbul alone are aquatics shops. The majority of these have a retail area of considerably less than 100 m² and offer only angling accessories in addition to aquarium products.In many eastern and southern European countries, however, fishkeeping is hampered by the pressing problem of water quality. In countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine and in parts of Poland and the Baltic states, the water quality is so poor and varies so considerably from region to region that keeping an aqua­rium successfully is purely a matter of luck. It's not for nothing that tourists are advised not to drink mains water and only to use for bottled water for oral hygiene purposes.Battling the declineThe order of the day in all aquatics markets is to halt the stagnation and get actual growth going again. Fishkeeping experts in the retail trade and industry cite expensive and time-consuming maintenance as the reason why many newcomers find the hobby difficult and why many even give it up. This is why more and more retailers are offering consumers a maintenance service for aquariums, something that was previously reserved primarily for aquariums in commercial settings, such as in doctors' surgeries, large offices etc. Fishkeeping is also battling with the traditional image it has acquired, in which the look of aquariums and aquarium furniture has played a significant role hitherto…