Kölle-Zoo | Germany

A true customer experience

All those who step into a Kölle-Zoo centre marvel at the variety of food, accessories, toys and the wide range of pets. Shopping might take a little longer, with tame Japanese koi carps eating out of your hand and the overwhelming choices you are faced with. 

The Kölle-Zoo company, established in 1969, boasts a long tradition. The company is one of Germany’s leading specialist pet retailers with more than 600 staff members who offer expert service and advice. As a rapidly expanding company, Kölle-Zoo has doubled the number of branches since 2008. Today, there are fourteen specialised Kölle-Zoo experience centres in five federal states in Germany. 

Trailblazing pioneers

Kölle-Zoo centres have an average surface area of 2,500 sqm. where a wide range of feed and accessories for dogs, cats, wild and cage birds, small animals, terraristics, aquaristics and garden ponds are on display. Customers stay for two hours on average and some of them cover distances of up to fifty kilometres when visiting a Kölle-Zoo centre. 

Dogs and their owners alike are enthusiastic visitors, especially because of the BARF shops and the well-assorted selection of raw meat, feed supplements, dietary supplements, high-value oils and natural chews. According to their own statement, the pet store chain offers ‘Germany’s largest selection of natural chews’, which are ‘100% free from colourants and preservatives’. 

Tasty sausages and aromatic ham bones hanging from meat hooks, cans of BARF food stacked in display racks and a great variety of natural chews waiting to be smelled and tasted in traditional hay carts and wicker baskets. Butchers’ tools such as scales or axes in chopping blocks, black-and-white pictures in wooden frames and seating furniture with a visible natural patina complete the overall experience. Dog owners who are interested in the BARF method are provided with free advice and an individual plan tailor-made for each species.

Kölle-Zoo is renowned for its plethora of ideas and surprises in the pet retail branch: from exceptional store concepts and pet presentations to dog boutiques, aqua studios or BARF shops, Kölle-Zoo is regularly ahead of its competitors. 

Heart and mind for pets 

Responsibility and respect for animals form the basis of the creation of Kölle-Zoo’s spacious and animal-friendly presentation layouts. This means that the animals on sale are fully comfortable until they are handed over to the loving care of customers. 

Not only the food and non-food departments are subject to rigorous control, but also the livestock on sale: the aviaries formerly used for parrots were overhauled to meet the requirements of small animals, thus giving them a lot of space for exercising and sufficient resting places. This kind of animal presentation offers numerous buying incentives with the simultaneous introduction of a variety of convenience goods such as toys, housing and much more. 

Kölle-Zoo’s care for animals goes beyond presenting and selling. The company supports regional animal shelters and sanctuaries by providing material and food donations. The company also sponsors customers who adopt pets from an animal shelter by giving them shopping vouchers in the amount of € 15.-  ($16.25) for basic equipment. Thanks to its cooperation with ‘tierheimhelden.de’, the company has increased chances for arranging new homes, as potential pet owners are able to find their preferred pet via the Kölle-Zoo website on a trans-regional basis. More than 8,291 pets from animal shelters have found a new home with the help of Kölle-Zoo since January 2013.

Customer and service orientation 

The specialist centres hold about 15,000 articles in permanent storage, with 50,000 products being available on a customer’s request. In addition to their huge range of food and accessories, Kölle-Zoo also provides extensive expert advice on all questions regarding pets. The services of affiliated veterinary surgeons and dog parlours make all Kölle-Zoo centres ‘houses for pets’. 

Diet advice, breeders’ tips, target-group oriented events and workshops as well as free guided tours for children are the finishing touches of the concept. 25,000 children have taken part in the free guided tours of the Kölle-Zoo centres and were able to discover a multitude of animals. This is how animal-loving kids and grown-ups can experience the overall concept up close and personal. 

Sustainability and environmental protection 

Kölle-Zoo conducts pioneering work in the area of nature and climate protection, with a special emphasis on its ecological footprint. It mainly focuses on environmentally-sound waste management, optimised and above all economical water and energy consumption as well as a reduction of CO2 emissions. 

Employee orientation 

Kölle-Zoo attaches great importance to their employees’ professional and social competences and motivation. Employees at all levels can take part in training sessions at the Kölle-Zoo Academy. Regular performance reviews for personnel development and support and a transparent corporate structure have created an open-minded and creative working atmosphere. Shared responsibility is an important theme. 

As an example, employees buy the Japanese koi stock autonomously and are trained in a specialised Danish plant nursery. Shared leisure time activities and the involvement of employees in customer events complement the personnel policy of Kölle-Zoo.