Competition getting fiercer in Hamburg

Hamburg is one of the most affluent big cities in Germany. There are plenty of residents with gardens here; most of them also have one or more pets. The number of dog owners in particular is high.

It is a great place for pet product retailers. As of the end of last year, the leading 20 pet store operators had 45 branches in the North German Hanseatic city. Countless other pet stores are dotted around the outskirts of the metropolis of over one million people. The top dog in Hamburg is the retail group Das Futterhaus with 17 stores in the urban area, followed by Fressnapf with 11 branches and the Egesa-Zookauf cooperative with six outlets.

Pet owners are now even more spoilt for choice since the opening of two large-format pet stores in recent weeks. One belongs to Megazoo Alpha, part of the Fressnapf Group. The opening of this 1 700 m² store, its third branch, in the southern suburb of Altona on 30 March further strengthens its presence in the Hanseatic city. The new branch is located on the busy Osdorfer Landstraße in a unit formerly occupied by the now insolvent office supplies specialist Staples, not far from the Elbe shopping mall with its high footfall. Megazoo Alpha’s other stores in the city are situated in Hamburg-Bergedorf and Henstedt-Ulzburg, north of Hamburg. Megazoo Alpha is responsible for the Megazoo stores in the north and east of Germany and is run by managing director Thomas Bangel and his son Felix.

Products for dogs and cats are the main focus of the new Megazoo store and take up 60 per cent of the overall retail area. Freshwater and marine aquariums account for a further 25 per cent and are to the rear of the store, with the remaining sales floor divided between the product groups for small animals, birds and reptiles. 

As is customary with Megazoo Alpha, live pets assume considerable importance in Hamburg-Altona, and the store chain hasn’t compromised on animal welfare with regard to the size and fittings of the animal enclosures in the new store. Most units go well beyond the recommendations of the Tierärztlichen Vereinigung für Tierschutz (Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare, TVT) in respect of dimensions and design, and offer animals sufficient variation while affording them opportunities to retreat and enjoy privacy.

The freshwater aquarium area comprises 21 tanks. Its special features include a Discus display and three professional…