Petmall expands into eastern Bulgaria with new stores

Petmall, Bulgaria’s largest pet retailer, is adding 3 new stores to its portfolio by the beginning of 2026. With these additions, its store network will reach 20 locations nationwide. 

One of the new stores will be in Sofia, the country’s capital, and will take over a space previously occupied by a pet shop. Spanning 250 square meters, it is strategically located in a retail park and is expected to open this December.

The next store, set to start operations either in December or January 2026, will be in Burgas, about 380 kilometers from Sofia. It will be the largest of the 3, spanning 350 square meters and situated next to a discount supermarket.

The third location will be a 150-square-meter store also located in a retail park, although the contract has yet to be signed.

“Until recently, our physical stores were only in Sofia and Plovdiv, which are the biggest cities. Now, we go to the east coast and the next step is going central in the country,” Nikola Ninov, Managing Partner at Petmall, tells GlobalPETS.

According to Ninov, the retailer has signed a total of 5 additional locations for 2026. In 2027, Petmall expects to open a new store of nearly 500 square meters. 

More openings

Eastern Europe has recently seen other developments in the pet sector. 

In November, Pet Network International (PNI), the largest pet retail chain in the region, opened its 30th Pet centar Serbia store in Belgrade, the country’s capital. On 26 November, PNI also opened a new Pet centar store in Šabac, approximately 90 km from Belgrade.

In September, the retailer completed its acquisition of the Pet Republic Group, which includes a chain of specialized pet shops, and M&J Trade, a wholesaler of premium pet food and supplements. 

Following the acquisition, all 7 Pet Republic stores in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš will now operate under PNI’s Pet centar retail chain.

Earlier this year, United Petfood and KIKA Group opened new production facilities near Warsaw, Poland, and Vilnius, Lithuania, respectively, demonstrating the strength of the pet market in the region.