More than €2 mln bonus: Fressnapf Group rewards the commitment of all of its own employees in Europe

The corona pandemic hit the entire retail world this year, including the Fressnapf Group. However, the Europe-wide market leader in pet supplies reacted very early on to global developments and quickly initiated concrete measures for the around 14,000 employees in all eleven countries.

A Covid19 task force was founded in mid-February, which evaluates the current news situation on a daily basis and, in consultation with the company owner, management and management, translates it into concrete recommendations for action and measures. The ten national companies of the Fressnapf Group and the national franchise partner committees are also closely involved in these discussions. The focus was and is on the health and safety of employees and customers as well as the best possible maintenance of business operations.

This commitment, along with good business development, is now additionally rewarded: In total, the Fressnapf Group is distributing more than two million euros to its own employees as a tax-free corona bonus of up to EUR 250 per employee. In the course of the year, the company made one-off payments, in particular to the store and logistics employees, and issued gift vouchers, ice cream and drinks. Gestures that express gratitude and appreciation and strengthen the feeling of togetherness.

“In particular, the work of colleagues along the supply chain, be it in logistics centers or in the markets, can hardly be recognized highly enough due to the diverse challenges,” stresses Fressnapf founder and company owner Torsten Toeller. “We fought to keep our markets open as a system-relevant retailer even in the second lockdown in order to continue to supply all animals in Europe, because especially in times of social distancing they have become even more important for us humans. So far, we have successfully avoided short-time work or even dismissals due to pandemics.

I would like to thank all of the employees who trusted us and who worked tirelessly. You have not let yourself be put off by multi-layer systems, masks, distance requirements and permanently changing framework conditions. This loyalty and solidarity – also with our franchise partners in Germany – made a deep impression on me, ”Toeller continued.

“The human-animal relationship became even more intense during the Corona times and, in addition, many animals were acquired or adopted,” Toeller gives an insight into the economic development of the Fressnapf Group. Specific business figures for this year will be published in February 2021.

The Fressnapf Group has also developed rapidly in terms of new and increasingly digital working methods. During the pandemic, the company immediately suspended business trips and face-to-face appointments, massively expanded the existing flex office regulations and almost without exception to virtual meetings and the corresponding introduction of e.g. MS teams set.

“You have to take off your hat to see how flexibly and intrinsically motivated our employees have dealt with the changing framework conditions,” emphasizes Torsten Toeller.

Overall, the Fressnapf colleagues felt well and comprehensively informed during the pandemic. The company received positive feedback in an anonymous survey of around 1,500 registered users in the internal employee app Fressnapf. On a rating scale of one to five points, Fressnapf achieved an average of 4.7 points for the subjects of “security and communication”.

The Fressnapf app has been the central, internal and, above all, interactive information and communication medium of the Fressnapf Group since 2018.