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Key people at zooplus AG.
zooplus AG was founded in 1999 by Sven Rittau (COO & Co-Founder).
zooplus AG operates as a prominent online retailer within the European pet supply market. The company develops and maintains an extensive e-commerce platform that offers a broad selection of pet food, accessories, and other essential products for various animals. Its core capabilities lie in managing a robust digital storefront, facilitating efficient logistics for cross-border delivery, and curating a comprehensive product catalog to meet diverse customer needs.
The company was founded in 1999 in Munich, Germany, by Roland Honekamp, Cornelius Patt, Sven Rittau, Florian Seubert, and Philipp Freiherr. These founders recognized the nascent potential of the internet to transform the pet care industry, foreseeing a demand for convenient, direct-to-consumer access to a wider array of pet supplies than typically available through traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
zooplus serves a large base of pet owners throughout Europe. The company is committed to fostering positive relationships between pets and their human companions by simplifying access to quality products. Its vision centers on the continuous enhancement and expansion of its integrated digital platform, aiming to remain a trusted partner for pet parents seeking convenient and comprehensive solutions for their pets' well-being.
zooplus SE is Europe's leading online retailer of pet supplies, offering around 15,000 products including food, accessories, and care items for dogs, cats, small animals, birds, aquariums, and horses across 30 countries.[1][2][3] Headquartered in Munich, Germany, it serves pet parents with a comprehensive platform featuring branded foods (e.g., Concept for Life, Wolf of Wilderness), loyalty programs, subscriptions, expert advice, and fast delivery, driven by the vision of "Celebrating Pet Love Every Day."[1][2] The company solves the challenge of convenient, wide-ranging pet shopping by providing category expertise, competitive pricing, and reliable supply in a growing e-commerce market, with strong repeat revenues from loyal customers.[5]
Founded in 1999 and publicly listed, zooplus has scaled to €2.678 billion in 2022 revenue and nearly 1,200 employees, operating logistics in multiple European locations.[3][4]
zooplus AG (now zooplus SE) was founded on June 28, 1999, in Unterföhring, Germany (later relocated to Munich), by Roland Honekamp, Cornelius Patt, Sven Rittau, Florian Seubert, and Philipp Freiherr von Wilmowsky.[3] Backed initially by Hubert Burda Media as its largest shareholder, the idea emerged to capitalize on the late-1990s boom in online retail for pet supplies, a niche with growing demand.[3]
Early challenges included the 2000 dot-com bubble, which strained funding despite double-digit million Deutschmark rounds, but the company persisted.[3] Key milestones: 2008 IPO and office move, with €80.34 million revenue and 79 employees; by 2009, revenue surged 60% to €127.71 million with 108 staff.[3] Growth accelerated, reaching €2.678 billion and ~1,200 employees by 2022, with new warehouses in Czechia and Hungary in 2023.[3]
zooplus rides the wave of pet care market expansion—sizable, non-cyclical, fueled by rising pet ownership, pet humanization, premium food trends, and e-commerce penetration in repeat-purchase categories like supplies.[5] Timing aligns with post-pandemic online shopping surges and Europe's fragmented pet retail shifting digital, where zooplus's scale creates moats via supply chain reliability and data-driven personalization.[1][5]
It influences the ecosystem by pioneering pet e-commerce since 1999, pressuring traditional retailers, enabling cross-border access, and partnering (e.g., potential with EQT's IVC Evidensia for services).[5] Market forces like low returns and high loyalty favor its model amid broader digital transformation in consumer goods.[5]
zooplus is poised to solidify its "ultimate pet destination" through tech upgrades, assortment expansion, and marketing enhancements under strategies like EQT's growth support.[1][5] Trends shaping it: accelerating e-commerce in pet care (rising penetration), AI-driven personalization, and ecosystem plays blending products with services/advice.[5] Influence may evolve toward a full pet parent hub, leveraging European scale for profitability amid premiumization—potentially boosting margins as online dominance grows.[5]
This builds on its founder-driven resilience, from dot-com survival to continental leader, celebrating pet love at unprecedented scale.[3]
Key people at zooplus AG.
zooplus AG was founded in 1999 by Sven Rittau (COO & Co-Founder).
