New Fressnapf milestone: First Maxi Zoo in Ireland

   Cork/Ireland, 20 July 2006 The very first Fressnapf outlet in the Republic of Ireland has opened its doors in Cork under the name Maxi Zoo. "The Fressnapf model with its large retail spaces, huge product range and aggressive pricing is new in Ireland," says Fressnapf's managing partner Torsten Toeller commenting on the group's entry onto the Irish market. "With our total customer orientation we will be setting new standards in the Irish market for pet products." The Maxi Zoo in Cork has a retail space of 400 sqm and stocks around 5,000 different products. There are plans to open more Maxi Zoo stores in Ireland over the next few years.
 
Fressnapf's master franchise partners in Ireland are husband-and-wife team Tony and Alice Cross. They both have years of experience in the retail sector and are firm animal lovers. Looking for a new professional challenge, they travelled through the USA, the UK and Europe and realized that there was not much space for newcomers or new concepts in the pet trade in these countries. "It's different in Ireland. Here the market is dominated by small specialist shops with a small selection of products. Here we can see the market potential that we will tap into with the Fressnapf concept ¨C a concept that has proved successful across Europe", says Tony Cross. He and his wife currently employ five people in the Cork outlet, but intend to increase this number quickly with more stores.

According to research by Fressnapf, around 50 per cent of the Irish population of four million own a pet. The Irish spend almost 40 euros per head on their pets each year. The pet market generated revenue of over 150 million euros in 2005 and is increasing in value by more than 6 per cent a year, and by around 2.5 per cent in volume. The pet food and accessories trade in Ireland is regarded as a booming business in a flourishing economy.