New chapter in the Fressnapf story

Whether PetSmart, Pets at Home or the Musti Group: if you look around the leading international specialist retail chains in the pet industry, you will see that almost all of them have a financial investor behind them, which is making a significant contribution to financing expansion into new markets, digitalisation and a sustainable omnichannel strategy. Fressnapf is different: the transformation at Europe’s leading omnichannel retailer for pet supplies has so far been financed without outside capital. But that is now set to change: Fressnapf has fully acquired the leading Italian speciality retail chain Arcaplanet from investor company Cinven. In return, Cinven will receive shares in Fressnapf, although reportedly less than 20 per cent.

Through the acquisition of Arcaplanet, Fressnapf is expanding its market presence in Italy and its Europe-wide store network by over 560 locations to around 2 600 in 14 countries. The planned gross sales jump by over 700 mio euros to around 5 bn euros. Fressnapf has held a minority stake in Arcaplanet since 2022 and, accord­ing to a press release, has since developed the company further as a strategic partner together with Cinven as the majority shareholder of Arcaplanet.

In connection with the complete takeover of Arcaplanet by Fressnapf/Maxi Zoo, Torsten Toeller and Cinven have announced an intensification of their existing partnership: Cinven will invest in Fressnapf Holding SE and is to provide strategic support for Fressnapf’s European growth course. However, according to the press release, Toeller will retain a large majority stake in his company and will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors at the head of Fressnapf. Cinven is to be a partner at eye level with whom Fressnapf would like to intensify its trusting, close and cooperative partnership. “The successful cooperation at Arcaplanet in recent years has shown how positive a trusting partnership with a financial investor can be – we have found an ideal partner in Cinven,” explains Toeller.

Cinven’s investment in Fressnapf also had personnel consequences. Fressnapf CEO Dr Johannes Steegmann, who played a key role in the company’s development into an omnichannel pet ecosystem over the past four years, left the company in the summer. ‘Happier Pets – Happier People ... it’s been an honour and now it’s time for me to go…