{"id":27514,"date":"2025-05-21T14:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T12:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/?p=27514"},"modified":"2026-03-12T08:32:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:32:49","slug":"from-food-expert-to-pet-supplies-professional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/press-and-media\/newsroom\/stories\/from-food-expert-to-pet-supplies-professional\/","title":{"rendered":"From food expert to pet supplies professional"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From food expert to pet supplies professional: Ivica Pobric on his experiences as ZooRoyal’s first retailer. His motto: Be open to a completely new retail world!<\/q> – it’s worth it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Press release<\/p>\n

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28 February 2025<\/p>\n

Pet-friendly success: REWE pushes ahead with Germany-wide rollout of stationary ZooRoyal stores<\/h2> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/button>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Until 2022, ZooRoyal, REWE Group’s pet supplies retailer, was primarily known as an online store and as a private label and shop-in-shop format at REWE, PENNY and toom Baumarkt hardware stores. Since April 2022, the REWE Group company has opened four brick-and-mortar stores in the REWE North region in the Hamburg area – with great success! ZooRoyal is now announcing the national rollout. From 2026, the brick-and-mortar stores will be successively rolled out across Germany – a real milestone for animal lovers. ZooRoyal will then not only be available online, but also at REWE, PENNY, toom and specialist retailers across the country.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Mr. Pobric, you have made company history as the first ZooRoyal retailer. How did this come about?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One day, Jochen Vogel, Chairman of the Management, REWE Nord, called me out of the blue. He told me about the crazy idea of opening a ZooRoyal store in a former Sky location near my REWE store in Norderstedt. I didn’t think about it for more than ten minutes before I said yes – that’s how brilliant I thought the idea was!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n \"Portrait\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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About:<\/h2>

\n Ivica Pobric <\/p>\n\n \n

\n Ivica Pobric was the first independent retailer to open a stationary ZooRoyal store in 2022. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Have you regretted the decision since then?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

By no means. Although the road was rocky at first. We had to set up a completely new infrastructure. Three days before opening, for example, 30 percent of the product range was not yet maintained in the checkout system. But it is precisely these efforts that make our success today all the more fulfilling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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What milestones do you like to think back on?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We were overwhelmed by customers for the first three days. I knew immediately that the effort had paid off. Another highlight for me is our annual summer party, where we work closely together as a team from the store and head office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Looking back, what were the biggest challenges?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

For example, it was challenging to find the right product range for our customers. We only had experience from e-commerce. But what works online is not always what customers want to buy in-store. So we learned and adapted a lot on the fly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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