Maxi Zoo Ireland has extended its share of Ireland’s pet supplies market with the acquisition of Equipet.

Equipet is owned equally by directors Malachy Byrne (46), Martin Kennedy (46) and Ian McCaffrey (48). The retailer was established in 2006 and has eight stores in Louth, Meath, Dublin and Cork.

Deal consideration was not disclosed.

The combination will increase the Maxi Zoo Ireland network to 29 stores and 285 employees.

Enrico De Luca, country manager of Maxi Zoo Ireland, commented: "Equipet is a company that we have always respected for its high standards in stores and quality.”

In Association with

Maxi Zoo is privately owned by Fressnapf Group, led by founder Torsten Toeller, who started the business in 1990. The company’s HQ is in Krefeld in Germany and there are c.1,800 Fressnapf and Maxi Zoo stores in eleven countries.

In Germany, the majority of the stores are operated by independent franchise partners, while in other European countries they are operated as company-owned stores. Annual turnover is c.€2.6 billion.

Sven Girmendonk, regional operations officer of the Fressnapf Group, stated: "The acquisition of Equipet makes us the clear champion of the branch in Ireland and we will become a true omni-channel retailer. Our goal will be to double our annual turnover of more than €30million in the medium term year."

Ian McCaffrey said: "We are very proud of how Equipet has grown and become a successful business. It was very important to us that our brand and the teams we have built over the past 15 years are in good hands.”

Equipet Retail Ltd booked a profit of €250,000 in 2019, and net worth at period end was €590,000. Through 2019, the company availed of €920,000 in bank loan funding.

Photo (l-r): Tim Cummins, Ian McCaffrey, Enrico De Luca, Martin Kennedy and Malachy Byrne. (Pic: Conor Healy)