Vafo Praha steps in at Allco

The announcement was made at a press conference at the start of December at which managing director Jörg Lefers and marketing manager Mira Zimberlin appeared for Allco and Vafo Praha was represented by its managing director and owner of Vafo-Holding, Pavel Bouška, and project manager Michal Vinický. 
Both companies are family-owned, both are managed by the second generation of the family and both have a good reputation in the pet supplies sector. At the end of 2016 Allco Heimtierbedarf announced its intention to restructure the company under self-administration. The range was substantially streamlined during the previous year by removing mass-market products such as cat litter or low-priced pet food products, and the workforce was also trimmed. "We had to clear a number of obstacles out of the way," said Lefers, explaining the difficult situation at his company, which now has annual sales of around 7 million euros.

In parallel with restructuring, Allco stepped up its search for a strong partner. Lefers stressed that for him, the involvement of a financial investor in the company was not the first option. In this regard he appeared relieved at the press conference to have found in Vafo Praha a partner "with which the future of Allco can be shaped actively". 
The company from Lower Saxony will now concentrate on its premium pet food line Christopherus, its treat range for dogs and cats, the Monties horse feed brand and its pond food programme. In future Allco Heimtierbedarf will also sell products of Vafo Praha in Germany and Austria, kicking off with the super-premium brand Carnilove for dogs and cats and the small animal food brand Brit Animals in January. Allco will market these in both German-speaking countries. Cooperation will also extend to the private label business, which plays a key role for Vafo Praha in the German market.

Vafo Praha was established in 1994 and is now one of the leading pet food manufacturers in eastern and central Europe. With sales of 120 mio euros in 2016 and a presence in 66 countries on four continents, it will probably market products from Allco Heimtierbedarf internationally following Interzoo. The company, which is based close to the airport in Prague, gained international prominence primarily…