Over 800 new stores by 2021

The corporate group increased its overall sales last year by 7.5 per cent to € 1.86 bn, with like-for-like sales up by 5 per cent. At the end of 2016, Fressnapf operated 1 378 outlets in Germany and abroad. It plans to open around 80 new stores this year, mainly in France, Italy and Poland. 
Once again, Germany accounted for the largest absolute share of sales, which grew by nearly six per cent to € 1.18 bn. The Fressnapf Group was especially pleased with the positive development of the online shop, which saw an increase of over 22 per cent in sales to € 59 mio. This was accompanied by a greatly improved margin compared with the company's competitors, said Alfred Glander, board chairman of the group. 
Fressnapf is targeting sales growth of 18 per cent to € 70 mio this year for the online shop. It will then advance the international roll-out of online sales in the next few years.

The biggest increase in sales in 2016 came in the ten foreign countries in which the Fressnapf Group operates, with a rise of 11 per cent to € 674 mio. Maxi Zoo Italy in particular achieved significant growth with 15 new stores and sales rising by 20.9 per cent to € 91 mio. Maxi Zoo France also enjoyed marked sales growth of 11.5 per cent to € 115 mio. The company had 84 stores operating in France by the end of last year.
The Fressnapf Group's sales success in France and Italy had been anticipated, but its result in Switzerland in 2016 came as something of a surprise. Having suffered a modest downturn in sales in the previous year, Maxi Zoo Switzerland celebrated a 14.9 per cent boost in sales to € 80 mio last year. At the end of 2016 the company had 52 outlets in Switzerland, three more than in the previous year.
To be able to carry on expanding in the next few years, the Fressnapf Group aims to invest heavily in the future. Whereas investment costs came to € 43 mio last year, they are expected to rise this year to € 70 mio and be devoted primarily to international expansion. By 2019 the company is expected to have invested over € 200 mio.

Last year Fressnapf created the infrastructure for more efficient logistics with the opening of its new logistics centre in Duisburg's Logport (see PET worldwide 1/2017). The warehouse, which has storage capacity for roughly 50 000 pallets, is used as an import warehouse. In June…