Conad's 'Pet Stores' reach 200
General Manager Francesco Avanzini: 'We also offer consultancy for veterinary and insurance services'
The project started 15 years ago, when specialised chains were not as widespread as they are today. We have just opened shop number 200 under the Pet Store sign and we will certainly not stop": this is how Francesco Avanzini, General Manager of Conad, presents the choice made by one of the most famous Italian large-scale retail chains and explains how the strategy and product offering has evolved since the first shop.
Pet grooming services
"Alongside the wide range of food, with different price ranges, for cats, dogs and other pets, such as small rodents, birds, fish and reptiles, the Pet Stores have added services such as grooming and the pet booth, which makes it possible to minimise the discomfort for the pet to be cleaned with care," adds Avanzini. Pet Stores have 'neighbourhood supermarket' surfaces, the Conad general manager points out, spaces of 400-500 square metres that can therefore also be opened in city centres. "One of the things that has surprised us most recently has been the sales in December: in supermarkets for us humans and in commerce in general we know that the month of Christmas is strategic, but we did not expect the change in Pet Stores," explains Avanzini. "There is a logic, however, beyond the initial surprise: the evolution of the relationship with pets also concerns the desire to share the emotions typical of Christmas, which has become an opportunity to give a small or large gift to one's four-legged or two-winged companion or that lives in an aquarium. We expanded the Christmas offer of accessories, starting with toys, and clothing. And for Easter we thought of eggs with a surprise: no chocolate, of course, but delicacies suitable for dogs and cats".
Training and opportunities for young people
The success of the Conad chain is also linked, adds the general manager, to staff training, with an internal ad hoc academy. "We plan to open 20-25 new shops per year, thus offering job opportunities to many young people. It is certainly an ambitious plan, with sales in 2025 growing by 15%, more than the sector average and much more than consumption as a whole,' concludes Avanzini. 'We will strengthen in-store services and consultancy, which concerns insurance, health and others, and veterinary assistance: we already have agreements with facilities of excellence and others will be forthcoming.
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