Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo lifts 2025 profit as same-store sales soften
Bottom line
Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo said its 2025 operating profit rose about 11% to €380 million on sales of €3.7 billion, even as like-for-like sales slipped 0.8% in what the company described as a still-challenging consumer and competitive environment. The European pet retailer credited cost discipline, changes to central structures, and continued growth in international markets, which now account for 67% of group revenue. The company also signaled that it will keep expanding in 2026, with France and Poland among its priority markets, while rolling out smart pricing and omnichannel tools more broadly across Europe. (presse.fressnapf.de)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is another sign that pet retail remains under pressure on volumes and shopper sentiment, even as larger chains get better at protecting margins through pricing, private-label mix, and operational efficiency. A stronger, more data-driven Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo could mean more competition for routine wellness, nutrition, and preventive-care spend, especially as the retailer deepens click-and-collect, store-based fulfillment, and urban formats aimed at convenience-minded pet parents. (presse.fressnapf.de)
What to watch: Watch whether Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo can turn its 2026 expansion, smart pricing rollout, and omnichannel investments into sustained like-for-like recovery after reporting stronger Q1 2026 sales growth of €928 million, up 6.6% year over year. (presse.fressnapf.de)
Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo entered 2026 highlighting a familiar retail story: stronger profits, but softer underlying store demand. In its 2025 results, the European pet retail group reported sales of €3.7 billion, up 2.5%, while operating profit climbed about 11% to €380 million, despite a 0.8% decline in like-for-like sales. Management framed the result as evidence that the business is getting more efficient, even in a market shaped by inflation pressure, cautious consumers, and heavier competition. (presse.fressnapf.de)
That performance builds on a multi-year transformation effort. In 2024, the company said it accelerated international expansion with 188 new stores, concentrated in higher-growth markets including France, Italy, and Poland, while also investing in supply chain and IT upgrades. By the first quarter of 2025, Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo was already emphasizing cost control, omnichannel execution, and store growth as the way through a weaker-volume environment. It opened 41 stores in Q1 2025 and launched Pick-from-Store in initial markets after introducing Ship-to-Store in 2024. (presse.fressnapf.de)
The 2025 annual results suggest that strategy is now showing up more clearly in profitability than in same-store momentum. According to the company, international markets were the main growth engine, lifting the overseas share of revenue to 67% of the total. Germany remained the largest market at 33% of revenue, followed by Italy at 21%, France at 16%, and Austria plus Switzerland at 11%. Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo also said it holds an average 17% market share in its core markets and now operates in 15 countries, with 2,888 stores including franchise locations and joint ventures. (presse.fressnapf.de)
Management is pairing that footprint with format and pricing changes. The company said it has begun testing a new urban-store concept, with early openings in Copenhagen and Paris, and plans to keep its pace of store expansion in 2026. It also said smart pricing models, click-and-collect, and broader e-commerce investments will continue rolling out across Europe. Those moves fit with the company’s earlier focus on faster fulfillment and lower logistics costs through store-based omnichannel models. (presse.fressnapf.de)
The leadership team has also been in transition as the group pushes its next phase of growth. In May 2025, Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo announced a revamped executive structure, including Matt Simister, formerly of Tesco, joining as CEO in September 2025, and Florian Wieser joining as group CFO in January 2026. The company said the reorganization was meant to support more agile, data-driven decision-making across HR, digital transformation, IT, logistics, supply chain, customer experience, and product strategy. (presse.maxizoo.fr)
There’s some early evidence that the 2026 playbook is gaining traction. Trade reporting on the company’s June 11, 2026, first-quarter update said revenue rose to €928 million in Q1 2026, up 6.6% from €871 million a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA increased 15.6% to €82 million. That doesn’t erase the softer like-for-like performance reported for 2025, but it does suggest the retailer may be stabilizing volumes as it leans harder into value positioning and convenience. (petworldwide.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the bigger takeaway isn’t just that a major retailer improved profit. It’s how. Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo is using pricing sophistication, private-label strength, store expansion, and omnichannel fulfillment to defend share in a pressured market. That matters because large pet retailers increasingly shape where pet parents buy food, treats, supplements, and some preventive-care adjacent products. If retailers make value and convenience easier to access, clinics may feel more pressure to differentiate on medical guidance, therapeutic nutrition, continuity of care, and trust. (presse.fressnapf.de)
What to watch: The next question is whether Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo can convert margin gains into healthier same-store growth through 2026. Watch for further rollout of smart pricing, additional urban-store openings, continued investment in logistics and click-and-collect, and whether priority markets such as France and Poland keep outpacing the rest of the portfolio. Its Q1 2026 update points in a positive direction, but the durability of that recovery will matter more than a single quarter. (presse.fressnapf.de)