Fressnapf Switzerland continues to grow unperturbed
Published: Monday, Feb 19th 2024, 12:11
Updated At: Tuesday, Feb 20th 2024, 00:59
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The Swiss once again spent a lot of money on their pets last year. The Fressnapf Group also benefited from this. The German pet supplies chain remains on course for growth in Switzerland.
In 2023, Fressnapf Switzerland's sales climbed by 6.6 percent to 147.8 million Swiss francs, as the Group announced on Monday. Growth in bricks-and-mortar retail amounted to 7.6 percent, while online sales were the same as in 2022 following the relaunch of Fressnapf.ch.
The Fressnapf Group as a whole increased its turnover by a good 13 percent to around 4 billion euros. More than half of this was achieved in Germany. The Group also grew thanks to the acquisition of the Dutch pet retailer Jumper in the fall.
"In contrast to other European markets, Fressnapf's growth in Switzerland is not due to inflation. Switzerland is one of the few markets in which we continue to record volume growth," said Country Manager Hermann Aigner in an interview with the news agency AWP. This means that the company was also able to sell more in terms of volume in this country, while the increase elsewhere was only possible thanks to higher prices.
Restructure and expand branch network
In Switzerland, Fressnapf is growing thanks to a larger product range on the one hand and the fact that more and more Swiss households have dogs, cats and other pets on the other. Aigner estimates the number of domestic cats in Switzerland at 2 million and the number of dogs at 600,000.
According to Aigner, other reasons for Fressnapf's success are the expansion and conversion of the store network and the expansion of the service offering. Last year, eight stores were modernized and 14 more locations are to be brought up to date in 2024.
In Switzerland, Fressnapf operates 70 stores with around 500 employees. After six new locations were added in 2023, five more are set to open this year. The first of these should soon be built in Ticino. "We don't have a store in Ticino yet, but would like to open three in the long term," said Aigner.
According to the press release, Fressnapf Switzerland has a budget of 4 million Swiss francs available for the conversion and expansion of the store network. One aim is to combine the offline and online worlds without these worlds competing with each other. In the long term, the number of stores is to increase to 90.
According to the information provided, Fressnapf Switzerland currently generates around 12% of its sales online. The aim is to increase this share to 20 to 30 percent over the next five years, with the "Click&Collect" concept and cooperations with other online platforms such as Galaxus.
Insurance product from 2025
Fressnapf also wants to offer customers more pet-related services. These include GPS trackers for dogs and cats, dog salons and on-site advice from cat experts in the stores. The Group also plans to launch a health insurance product for pet owners in 2025.
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