Fressnapf Urban Stores Expand as Europe Tests New Pet

Executive Summary: Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo opened a 130-square-metre urban store in Germany on 29 October, its second in the format after Munich in August, and plans more in Munich, Paris and Vienna. Jollyes opened a 250-square-metre shop inside an Asda supermarket in Sheffield, Arcaplanet began a 15-store programme with Bricofer in Italy, and Pet Service Holding will open a second BudgetPets discount store in Arnhem in December.

Key Facts

Companies: Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo; Arcaplanet; Bricofer Group; Jollyes; Asda; Pet Service Holding
Countries: Germany, France, Poland, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands
Industry: Pet retail
Category: Store formats, retail expansion
Event: Fressnapf’s second German urban store and parallel format tests by four European retailers
Date: 11 November 2026 (store opened 29 October 2026)
Location: Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Netherlands
Store size: 130 sq m (new German urban store); 233 sq m (Warsaw); 250 sq m (Jollyes concession); ~500 sq m (BudgetPets Arnhem)
Group scale: Fressnapf about 3,000 stores, 500 in France
Search demand: pet stores near me draws about 1.5 million monthly US queries in GPI’s keyword library
Source: GlobalPETS, citing the retailers

What Happened

Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo opened a 130-square-metre urban store in Germany on 29 October, the second site in that format on its home market after the Munich-Schwabing debut in August. The shop carries dog, cat and small-pet ranges, a trimmed food selection, in-store advice and the digital services the group has attached to the concept since it launched last year in Paris and Copenhagen.

The roll-out has been quicker than the first two openings suggested. A 233-square-metre store opened in Warsaw in June, a Lyon location followed earlier in the year, and a further Paris store in September became the retailer’s 500th site in France and its 3,000th across the group. Fressnapf says two more urban stores will open before the end of 2026, one in Munich and one in Paris, that a first Vienna location is in preparation for 2027, and that Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart are next in Germany.

Ranges have moved with the format. Since launch the retailer has added premium, design-led and start-up-developed non-food lines, installed pet health sections carrying veterinary products that neighbourhood shops rarely stock, and built seasonal displays around local buying patterns. Smaller food packs and a deeper snack selection do the work a long shelf does in a big-box store.

“Our goal from the outset has been to expand convenient, neighborhood-based access to pet supplies in other German cities as well,” the company said. It added that “customers value the convenience of having a specialist pet retailer in highly accessible urban locations, the curated assortment, and the ability to quickly complete their shopping missions.”

Background

Europe’s largest pet retailer has spent two years testing how little floor space a pet shop can occupy and still carry a specialist range. City-centre rents are charged per square metre and retail conversions are slow to permit, so a compact format spreads fixed costs across fewer shelves and leans on replenishment instead of depth of stock.

Industry Context

Three formats are being tested across Europe at once. Compact urban stores address location, store-in-store partnerships address capital, discount banners address price. Jollyes took the second route in October, opening a 250-square-metre shop inside an Asda supermarket at Drakehouse Retail Park in Sheffield, 260 km north of London, with raw and fresh food, natural treats, toys and accessories. The opening took its UK network to 128 stores. It wants more than 250 within five years, up from 123 when the expansion plan started, and has identified more than 160 candidate locations. Jollyes reported revenue of GBP 169 million for the year to 31 May 2026, up 8.7%.

Arcaplanet took a hybrid route in Italy, starting a programme with Bricofer Group, the DIY and gardening retailer. It opened its first standalone store alongside a Bricofer outlet in Spilimbergo, 350 km from Milan, and plans 15 standalone stores plus eight branded shop-in-shop corners across Bricofer, Self and Ottimax. The standalone sites carry their own assortment, checkouts and staff; the corners are run by the host. “Integration within Bricofer Group stores allows us to optimize investments across the territory and accelerate growth,” said chief financial and operating officer Alessandro Strati.

The Netherlands is running the discount experiment. Pet Service Holding will open its second BudgetPets store in early December at the De Lely shopping centre in Arnhem-Noord, 121 km from Amsterdam, on roughly 500 square metres. The centre draws 1.6 million visitors a year and already houses Jumbo, Lidl, Kruidvat and KiK; the company plans 15 stores in a first phase and at least 50 in total, and chief executive Ron van Veldhoven has set a group revenue ambition of at least EUR 50 million by 2029-2030.

Market & Business Impact

For suppliers, the shift changes what a listing is worth. A 130-square-metre store cannot carry four sizes of one dry food plus two case configurations; it carries one or two, chosen for sell-through per facing. Brands that win space are usually the ones willing to supply small packs, shelf-ready cases and planogram-ready displays, and to accept that the store will not stock the full range.

For independents, the threat is location rather than price. Search demand for a pet shop is overwhelmingly local, and GPI’s keyword library puts monthly US volume for pet stores near me at roughly 1.5 million queries, with dog food store near me at 12,100 — evidence that most purchase journeys start with proximity, not brand. A chain store on the walk home intercepts that journey before an out-of-town specialist sees the shopper.

Capital intensity explains the pace. A pet franchise agreement still requires a site, a fit-out and a fee before the first sale; a corner inside an existing DIY store needs a fixture plan and a stock agreement. That difference is why Arcaplanet can promise 15 locations and Jollyes 130 in a plan cycle while a franchise network would need years to sign the same number.

Companies & Brands Involved

Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo runs about 3,000 stores across Europe, 500 in France. Arcaplanet is using Bricofer’s footprint to expand in Italy without owning every site, while Bricofer gains a category partner. Jollyes is betting supermarket footfall converts better than retail-park footfall for raw and fresh food, and Asda hosts the concession. Pet Service Holding runs BudgetPets as a discount banner aimed at specialists and grocery rather than online-only retail.

Data & Evidence

Store sizes: 130 square metres for the new German urban store, 233 for Warsaw, 250 for the Jollyes concession, roughly 500 for BudgetPets in Arnhem. Network scale: Fressnapf about 3,000 stores with 500 in France; Jollyes 128 UK stores against a target of more than 250 from 160 candidate sites. Financial: Jollyes revenue GBP 169 million for the year to 31 May 2026; Pet Service Holding expects at least EUR 1.5 million of annual revenue from the Arnhem store, implying about EUR 3,000 per square metre with grocery-level footfall next door.

What This Means for the Pet Industry

European pet retail is no longer one business. The companies that gain share will be those that run two or three formats at once without letting assortment logic leak between them: a city store with 1,800 lines, a supermarket concession with 600, a warehouse with 12,000.

The useful comparison for a European operator is not chewy vs petsmart — online versus shelf — because both of those companies are US-scale and neither runs a 130-square-metre city format. Europe’s contest is between formats that each own a different part of the shopping trip.

The open question is whether a discount banner and a premium urban store can coexist inside one group’s accounts when they target the same street. Pet Service Holding is testing that in Arnhem, Fressnapf the opposite end in Munich.

Key Takeaways

Fressnapf opened a 130-square-metre urban store in Germany on 29 October, its second in the format at home after Munich in August.
The group runs about 3,000 stores, including 500 in France, and plans further urban openings in Munich, Paris and Vienna.
Jollyes opened a 250-square-metre shop inside an Asda supermarket in Sheffield, taking its UK network to 128 stores against a target of more than 250.
Arcaplanet will add 15 standalone stores and eight shop-in-shop corners through its partnership with Bricofer Group in Italy.
Pet Service Holding expects at least EUR 1.5 million of annual revenue from its second BudgetPets discount store in Arnhem.
Compact formats reward suppliers that can deliver small packs and shelf-ready cases rather than full-range listings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are European pet retailers opening stores inside supermarkets and DIY chains?

A concession or shop-in-shop avoids the two costs that slow standalone expansion: site acquisition and a full fit-out. Arcaplanet’s arrangement with Bricofer keeps the standalone stores on its own staff and checkouts while the branded corners are run by the host retailer.

Are US comparisons like Chewy versus PetSmart useful for European pet retail?

Only partly. Chewy and PetSmart compete for the same US household across online and store channels at national scale. European operators are testing formats — compact city stores, supermarket concessions, discount banners — rather than a single online-versus-store contest.

Sources

Primary — GlobalPETS, Fressnapf expands urban concept as Europe’s pet retailers test new store formats, 11 November 2026, https://globalpetindustry.com/news/fressnapf-maxi-zoo-to-expand-urban-store-concept-in-vienna-berlin-and-hamburg/
Secondary — Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo, Arcaplanet, Jollyes and Pet Service Holding statements reported in the same article, 11 November 2026.
Secondary — Jollyes revenue of GBP 169 million for the year to 31 May 2026, reported by GlobalPETS.
Reference — GlobalPetIndex company directory, retailer profiles and store counts.

Fressnapf Opens a Second German Urban Store as European Pet Retailers Test New Formats

Key figures

Other pet-industry companies in Germany