DEVELOPMENT CASE

ZooZity was a pioneering pet store concept with the world’s largest Pet shop, with a large selection of animals, covering at least 700 species and 8,000 live animals, based on the personal shopping experience and a passion for pets.

Market situation

Pets, pet food, and pet accessories are generally sold from small local shops with limited space. This makes it almost impossible to provide animals with satisfactory conditions. Furthermore, it restricts the product range and consequently sales. With mostly local shops and a few nationwide chains, the general industry model is based on discount price offerings.

Business potential

We believe that a passion for pets has nothing to do with age, gender or status. People and families become attached to animals of all kinds, and an increasing number of them want to create optimal conditions for their pets.

The establishment of the first ZooZity experience store has revealed considerable unexploited market potential. Innovative features included lots of space, great respect for the animals and the lay-out of a real “zoo”, where you are allowed to touch the animals, talk to animal-loving experts and subsequently purchase a pet, pet food and pet accessories.

Concept

With an unwavering focus on people’s passion for pets, we provided a wide range of pet food and a large selection of animals, covering at least 700 species and 8,000 live animals. The shops were divided into generic sections and staffed with devoted experts. Our marketing efforts were based on customer loyalty, and the number of online members of the ZooZity Club, including the amount of the online dialogue.

ZooZity A/S

Having purchased a 40.000-square-metre space in the Danish suburb of Hvidovre, there was only one question left facing the team at Nordic Venture Partner: what to do with it. The conventional solution would have involved retaining the building’s original purpose as a retail centre - but the location was unpromising and we felt something different was required to attract visitors from further afield. The building had to be transformed into a destination.

So it was that ZooZity was born. The idea was to create a zoo where visitors could buy the animals as pets. With a huge amount of space and a design similar to a zoological garden, the concept was based on a high level of respect for the animals and their welfare. Customers were able to touch the animals, talk to the experts who looked after them and then buy their favourite animals as pets, along with accessories and food.

Already a well-known tourist attraction, ZooZity ass intended to be the first of many such stores, all supported by a central online shop. It has sparked regeneration in a once unremarkable area.