With the rollout of the ZooRoyal-Stores marks the beginning of a new chapter in REWE’s history. In addition to retailers, we will soon be welcoming completely new, exciting job profiles to our colleagues. Whether fur hairdresser, aquarist or category manager for dog beds and cat scratching posts: in our series “Pawsome dream jobs” we introduce you ZooRoyal-colleagues who have turned their passion into a profession and show how diverse working with and for animals can be.
Pawsome dream jobs: Tim Heiler is an aquarist at ZooRoyal
From 2026, ZooRoyal - REWE Group's modern pet supplies retailer - will be rolling out its own brick-and-mortar stores across Germany. What has so far mainly generated enthusiasm online and in REWE and PENNY stores will then also be experienced locally: a modern store concept, a wide range of specialist pet supplies - and, above all, people who put their heart and expertise into it.
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Dream job from childhood
Since 2016, 28-year-old Tim Heiler has been working in his dream job: he is an aquarist. He is head of the aquatics department at Ivica Pobric’s ZooRoyal store in Norderstedt. There he combines work with the subject that has fascinated him since childhood: the underwater world.
Whether at his grandparents’, his father’s or among his friends – there was always an aquarium somewhere in Tim’s environment, so he was fascinated by fish and underwater plants from an early age. Tim started his career by training as a retail salesman in a pet shop. During his training, he was able to turn his hobby into a career and specialized in aquariums.
The innovative ZooRoyal concept
When REWE and ZooRoyal opened the first brick-and-mortar store in Norderstedt in 2022 with retailer Ivica Pobric, Tim was immediately impressed by ZooRoyal’s new, innovative concept.
Today, he and his team are responsible for feeding and caring for the fish, keeping tanks or exhibits clean and free of algae and ensuring the right water quality and temperature. Unlike aquarists who work in zoos, for example, advising customers is an important task for the aquatics department in Norderstedt. Contact with people is a big part of the appeal of Tim’s job. Whether it’s someone who focuses on individual animal species or much more on the plants in the aquarium – the variety makes it exciting
. This is also a real benefit for salesman Ivica Pobric: Tim lives and breathes his profession and this is also appreciated by the customers. Customers sometimes drive a few kilometers to us for professional advice.
Pawsome dream jobs: Tim Heiler is an aquarist at ZooRoyal
Since 2016, 28-year-old Tim Heiler has been working in his dream job: he is an aquarist. He is head of the aquatics department at Ivica Pobric’s ZooRoyal store in Norderstedt. There he combines work with the subject that has fascinated him since childhood: the underwater world.
Aquarists out of passion
But being an aquarist also means being creative. Every aquarium we set up is unique and I can really let off steam with the design.
Tim and his team regularly offer aquascaping workshops in the evenings or at weekends. Aquascaping can be compared to landscaping. Customers can learn how to arrange aquatic plants, stones and other decorative elements to create a natural underwater landscape for the various fish species on site at the ZooRoyal store.
Working for ZooRoyal is a stroke of luck for Tim Heiler. Business Manager Ivica Pobric supports him in regularly attending further training courses and flexibly implementing trends. Hobby aquarists are often very tech-savvy. It’s important to me to always be able to offer our customers the latest innovations, such as smart aquariums with automated feeding systems.
For Tim, one thing is clear: being an aquarist is not just a profession, it’s a vocation. And anyone who sets up an aquarium themselves will immediately understand why the enthusiasm is contagious.
