Interview with the Group CEO of Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo

With more than three decades of experience in retail, Matt Simister stepped into the role of CEO at Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo bringing a wealth of expertise from his career at British supermarket giant Tesco.

Having led operations across the UK and Europe, including a nine-year stint as CEO of Tesco’s Central Europe division, he has now turned his attention to strengthening Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo’s footprint across 15 markets in Europe.

Germany, Italy, and France take center stage, thanks to their scale and growth potential, while Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Hungary are emerging as fast growing hubs.

In a conversation with PETS International, Simister shares how Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo is leveraging data and loyalty programs to personalize offerings, adapting assortments to meet the evolving needs of dogs and cats, and strengthening key markets.

You come from a supermarket background, where convenience drives purchases. How has your view of product assortment changed moving from mainstream retail to a pet specialty outlet?

My background was very much focused on fresh and chilled foods, with the question always being: how do you give consumers the best food for themselves? Pet markets are different, of course, but that focus on understanding customers and what they truly want remains consistent.

Often, it’s the same customers, but their ‘mission’ is different. In grocery, customers are usually trying to complete a full basket – they want to get everything they need and get out quickly. In pet specialty, even if it’s the same people, their goal changes. They’re looking to meet all of their pets’ needs and they expect a bit more engagement with staff, and advice and guidance.

They might also want to drive up in the car and move a heavy bag of food or litter directly into their vehicle – something that isn’t very convenient in a grocery store when they have other items to fit into their basket. So what’s consistent is that laser focus on understanding customer needs and supporting them in the mission they’re on that day.

Regarding assortment, we have the ability to stock a much broader range for customers, catering to all of their pets’ needs.

What have been your main priorities since stepping into the role?

My initial focus over the first six months was to understand the business: meet the teams, see the competition in each market and recognize that every market is different. From there, my focus has shifted increasingly toward the customer.

We’ve been gathering more insight into what our customers truly want, thinking about how to develop customer propositions, and how to adapt both stores and online channels to better meet their needs.

The single biggest priority is what we call customer centricity. That includes offering the right product range at the right value. With inflation affecting many markets, customers are naturally focused on value. So delivering a broad range of quality products at competitive prices is essential.

Looking further ahead, we are also focused on how we engage with customers more deeply through initiatives like our rewards program, Friends.

In the medium term, this means improving our retail operations, becoming more sophisticated in personalization, optimizing pricing and ultimately providing more value in ways that matter most to our customers.

How will this translate into specific action points?

When it comes to loyalty and data, we’re currently capturing information from roughly half of our customer base. The first step in our loyalty campaign is to increase customer engagement – what I’d call the acquisition phase.

For example, at Arcaplanet, we capture 90% of customer spend, which shows the potential to significantly increase acquisition for our Friends program. Once we grow that base, we can increasingly personalize and optimize the benefits we offer, creating more value for our customers.

How has Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo navigated recent market challenges?

Last year the market was fairly flat. As a result, we focused on becoming more cost-efficient and managing the post-inflationary slowdown. When I arrived, I saw an opportunity to be more proactive in driving top-line growth.

I’m pleased to see that trading picked up over Christmas and that momentum has carried into the new year. Retail businesses thrive when they satisfy customers and grow, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing. We’re expanding through new stores, growing our online channel and driving performance through our core estate. That, in turn, boosts volumes for suppliers, making Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo not only Europe’s largest pet specialist but also a fast-growing and reliable partner.

What are the main strategic priorities in your key markets, and how does Germany influence the group’s overall approach?

Germany remains our largest and most important market, it’s the heart of the business and home to our headquarters.

That said, we’re still expanding and we continue to open around 20 new stores each year. At the same time, we’re investing significantly in refreshing our existing store base. Given the company’s long history in Germany, parts of the estate are older, so modernization is a key focus. In contrast, newer markets like France, Poland and Italy naturally see more new store openings.

Germany is also where we have our most advanced digital operations. It’s our strongest online market and a leader for our omnichannel strategy, shaping how we think about integrating physical and digital retail across the group.

That said, Germany is just as competitive as any other market. Grocers are increasingly targeting the pet category, while players like Zooplus and Amazon are strong, alongside DIY stores and garden centers. Competition is intensifying across the board.

So the priority now is not just expansion, it’s about becoming a better retailer. That means improving category management, optimizing stock flow, increasing store productivity and strengthening our processes and systems. Ultimately, it’s about delivering a better experience for customers and building a more robust foundation for future growth.

You opened a new sourcing hub in Hong Kong in November 2025. How has that developed in the months since?

It’s going very well and we’re really excited about the opportunities it brings.

It gives us much closer proximity to key sourcing markets, particularly for non-food products and snacks. That allows us to be faster – reducing lead times, strengthening our design capabilities and staying closer to emerging trends.

We also see strong potential to expand our exclusive brands, especially in non-food. While we already have a solid foundation in exclusive food brands, and some presence in non-food, this move opens up new opportunities – particularly in accessories and lifestyle products.

Looking ahead, broader shifts in pet ownership, combined with the capabilities we’re building in Asia and the expansion of our urban store formats, all point toward continued growth in non-food categories.

You hired a new Chief Product Officer…

Mikko Forsström is a very experienced European retailer, having led commercial operations in several markets and managed group buying as well.

Having come from the commercial world myself, I think we share the same perspective: commercial success is fundamentally about developing categories that meet evolving customer needs and grow the business, while also managing supply chains and buying effectively to deliver real value.

Mikko brings deep experience on both the buying and selling sides, and he understands how to balance centralized strategy with the needs of national operations. I’m very optimistic that, under his guidance, our product offering will improve significantly in the coming years.

Which categories are you prioritizing based on consumer trends?

One of the things I love about moving from grocery to pet specialty is that, after covering 30+ categories in my career, I can now focus on a smaller number and go much deeper.

At Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo, the dog category is our core. There are important shifts happening in the population – for instance, we’ll see more small dogs – so it’s crucial to protect the core of the business while adapting to these changes. Across both cats and dogs, many ‘Covid pets’ are aging, which means nutrition, preventative healthcare and other products tailored to older pets are becoming increasingly important.

Cat is another key opportunity. While our cat business is significant, penetration is smaller compared with dogs. Understanding what cat owners want and addressing their specific needs gives us a major growth potential.

There are also lessons we bring from grocery retail. Beyond driving sales through value and product differentiation, we’re looking at seasonality and trading opportunities – things like Christmas, Valentine’s Day or even pets’ birthdays. Our customers are highly engaged, and there’s room to be more proactive in how we present these opportunities and deliver incremental sales.

What share of your business currently comes from online sales?

At the moment, online accounts for around 12% of the business. It’s very likely that this share will increase in the coming years.

What is Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo‘s strategy to ensure a strong presence online?

Online is a fast-growing part of the market, with DTC and q-commerce trends shaping customer expectations. This is an area where we need to be proactive.

We have a strong digital platform, supported by our network of almost 3,000 stores, which gives us a unique advantage in meeting our digital customers’ needs. Our online business is solid, particularly in Germany and Italy, but across other countries there are clear opportunities to improve things like assortment, pricing and delivery promise.

The market is growing, and the opportunity online may even exceed what we currently see in stores. That’s why we’re putting increased focus on online, while also integrating our physical and digital capabilities to create a seamless omnichannel experience that meets customer expectations.

How is the Nörvenich fulfillment center helping you scale online?

We’ve made a significant investment, and we’re just starting to fully utilize its potential. It’s a fantastic operation that gives us the capacity and capability to grow rapidly online.

But it’s not just about fulfillment. Nörvenich also enables us to deliver better value through click-and-collect. Customers can pick up products at stores when it suits them, leveraging both our distribution and store networks. Finding the right balance between home delivery and click-and-collect will be a key focus in the coming years, allowing us to optimize both convenience and value for our customers.

With your growing online capabilities, how do you envision the balance between online and in-store sales evolving over the next few years?

It’s very likely that online participation will grow, given both market trends and our expanding capabilities. We’ll track that growth, of course, but my main focus is on satisfying more customers.

Whether they shop primarily in stores, online or a mix of both doesn’t matter as much. I care more about customer lifetime value than the specific channel they use. Naturally, we’ll optimize our channels and make sure we leverage our assets to make each visit, physical or digital, more efficient and valuable for customers.

Where do you focus your efforts when it comes to in-store services?

We do offer various services across our stores and countries, but to be honest, that’s not my primary focus. My main priority is the core retail disciplines – turning customer insights into compelling propositions, driving value, optimizing our range and developing strong health offerings.

Managing category dynamics, like the evolving needs of dogs and cats, is also central. I’m really energized by what we can achieve with space, merchandising and stock flow, and ensuring our core retail operations are efficient while enabling our colleagues to deliver the excellent service Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo is known for.

That’s a key competitive advantage. Online-only players can’t provide human engagement, and grocers are limited in the support they can offer during busy trips. Our colleagues, supported by trusted and exclusive brands, deliver veterinary advice and personalized help that no other channel can match.

Going forward, I want to make our operations and processes even more efficient so colleagues can spend more time with customers, both in-store and online. That combination of service and retail excellence is what sets us apart in every market.

Are there plans for Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo to expand into new markets?

Founder Torsten Toeller has always loved the industry and thinking about the next generation of opportunities across Europe and beyond, so there are always ideas.

That said, our main focus will be on growing and consolidating where we are today. We’re already in 15 markets, and the priority is to strengthen our position in those rather than rushing into new territories.