Big player from France

When the French company Agrobiothers Laboratoire was established 130 years ago, probably no-one could have guessed what a key role the company would later play in the pet supplies sector. Based in Cuisery/France, the family firm started out supplying seed mixes and various gravels for aquariums. What followed was the company’s remarkable rise to become a leading player in the pet care business in Europe and the French market leader in pet accessories and pet welfare products. Facilities all over the world Apart from the production plant at its headquarters in Cuisery, Agrobiothers has four other plants manufacturing the various products in its range, in Strasbourg and Soultz in France, Krakow in Poland and Bizerte in Tunisia. The different seed mixes are produced in Cuisery, while most of the company’s treatment and hygiene lines are produced at the facility in Soultz, close to Mulhouse. Krakow also has a seed production plant and export hub, while the factory in Tunisia makes cushions and harnesses. “Our main strength is our production capacity through our own plants and our control of the value chain. That fact also allows us to deliver on time with over 98 per cent availability,” says Jean-Christophe Larsimont, marketing director of Agrobiothers Laboratoire. The global production is matched by a broadly based export operation, and the company now distributes its products to more than 30 countries in Europe and across the world. According to Agrobiothers, hypermarkets like Carrefour, Leclerc, Système U and Auchan account for 40 per cent of its deliveries and garden centres and pet stores such as Truffaut, Jardiland, Botanic, Villaverde and Maxizoo take up 60 per cent. Four pillars of the product range The company, which employs around 200 staff, divides its huge product range into four different pillars. The first is food for birds and rodents, gravels for aquariums and litters for cages, which are produced in Cuisery and Krakow. The second pillar comprises health and care products. Cushions/pet beds and leashes and collars form the third pillar, while the fourth covers accessories for all pets and all segments. The “Aquaprime” range is a special product line that plays the aquarium decoration card for customers, according to the company. This line features an entire range of stylish goldfish bowls, for example, which are hand-blown in France. The interior decoration of these new aquariums is all elegance and simplicity and consists of aluminium spheres…