"Big potential in both markets"

In general, there are small differences between the Czech and Slovakian markets. In the Czech Republic there is more competition. The Czech customer is therefore more sensitive to price compared with the Slovakian customer. 
The two pet markets are also similar per capita but with a big difference in absolute value - in the Czech Republic it is 350 mio euros and in Slovakia 160 mio euros. 

We are number 1 in the Czech and Slovakian markets if you take into account turnover and total size in m2. In the Czech Republic the total size is 18 500 m2 and in Slovakia 11 500 m2. Our concept includes stores with a floor space of 300 - 500 m2 on average, depending on the location. We have a complete assortment in all categories - dogs, cats, small animals, birds, aquatics, terrariums with the focus on a big range of pet accessories and livestock in the form of aquarium fish, reptiles, birds and small animals.

The concept of Super Zoo is very successful in both countries and we are looking forward very much to expanding. We have the biggest potential in the Czech Republic with 67 stores at present - within four years we plan to have 120 - 130 stores in total. In Slovakia we aim to have 65 stores within the same period. For us it is crucial to stay with our proven format, which is ideally 350 m2, no more small stores in future. In next two years we will focus on the Prague area, where we plan to open six new stores of 400 m2 and two mega stores of 1 000 m2. In Slovakia we will open our first pilot store of 600 m2 incorporating a veterinary clinic.

The wholesale sector is growing slowly because the chains and online retailers like Zooplus are getting stronger. Big players in the market are getting stronger and making the smaller ones weaker. I believe that in the future only four big wholesale companies will remain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 

Supermarkets have about a 50 per cent share of the pet market. In my opinion the number is high…