The all-rounder

It all started in 2006 with the launch of an online store in the flourishing pet food and acessories segment. Tiendanimal.es was by no means the first online shop in the pet sector, but it quickly achieved significant growth rates. Just seven years later in 2013, the first bricks and mortar store of Tiendanimal opened in Madrid with a retail area of 1 000 m².

There are now 20 Tiendanimal outlets operating with retail areas ranging from 100 to 1 600 sqm. Three of these are located in the Spanish capital Madrid, three in Malaga and others in Cordoba, Murcia, Tarragona, Jerez and Castellon. Around half of the stores are sited in shopping malls. When choosing locations, attention was paid in particular to a high footfall, as the typical casual and spontaneous customer is considered especially important. Up to 65 stores are expected to be established in Spain by 2018, and neighbours France and Portugal form part of the plan for the Tiendanimal management, along with Italy. All stores are supplied from the company's own central warehouse in Malaga.
One feature common to all the stores is that customers have the option of collecting purchases ordered online from the store; the shopping baskets are made up and are ready for collection from numbered lockers.

Dog food is the sales driver in all stores, accounting for 60 per cent of sales, followed by cat food at 15 per cent. Aquariums and small mammals have minimal significance in day-to-day business, together accounting for around 15 per cent of sales. Tiendanimal thus reflects the situation in the Spanish pet supplies market (cf. PET worldwide 6/2016).

The focus in the dog food segment is on premium and natural food products, with the overall range extending from medium- to high-premium grades. Shoppers will search in vain for supermarket brands.
Tiendanimal retails five of its own brands, including three food lines. Criadores is a low-priced wet and dry premium food for dogs and cats; Breed up is a su­per-premium line likewise com­prising wet and dry food for dogs and cats, while Salvaje is a very small premium line of dry dog food. What is common to all three is that they are manufactured exclusively in Spain. The two private labels TK-pet and Yes!PH are…