Kolle Zoo

What Kolle Zoo does

Kölle Zoo is a German specialty pet retailer founded in 1969 and headquartered in Schwieberdingen. The company operates approximately 21 large-format "experience markets" (Erlebnismärkte) averaging 2,500 square meters per location, with a footprint spanning Germany, Austria, and Belgium. Its assortment covers roughly 50,000 SKUs across pet food, accessories, and live animals for cats, dogs, birds, aquarium fish, and small mammals, and is augmented by an in-house private-label portfolio including brands such as Lottis Häppchen, Tikaani, Mincas Häppchen, Lottis Freunde, and Lottis Piepmätze.

The company serves individual pet owners in the DACH and Benelux regions through an omnichannel model that combines physical retail with an e-commerce platform, a mobile app, and Click & Collect services. Strategic brand partnerships — notably with premium pet food manufacturer Josera — supplement the proprietary label range. With 501–1,000 employees and no disclosed institutional funding, Kölle Zoo is a privately held, family-controlled operator competing in the German specialty pet segment against larger chains such as Fressnapf and Das Futterhaus, as well as discounters and online specialists.

The business model is standard omnichannel B2C retail: revenue is generated through store sales, online transactions, and private-label product margins. Recent moves — Belgian market entry in Sankt Vith (November 2024), a Red Sea aquarium product launch (2025), and continued private-label expansion — indicate an incremental growth posture focused on category depth and selective geographic extension rather than aggressive rollout.

Name

Kolle Zoo

Legal name

Kölle Zoo Online GmbH

Website

https://koelle-zoo.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kölle Zoo is a privately held German specialty pet retailer operating approximately 21 large-format experience markets across Germany, Austria, and Belgium, serving individual pet owners with food, accessories, and live animals through omnichannel retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Supplies Retail

NAICS

Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

General Pet Supplies Retail (Multi-category) (CRALAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pet Supplies Omnichannel (CRAFAEAJ), Pet Supplies Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAH), Pet Food & Treats Retail (CRALAHAB), Small Animal Supplies Retail (Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters) (CRALAHAL)

Keywords

• Pet supplies retail
• Pet food products
• Pet care accessories
• Aquarium supplies
• Pet specialty stores

Headquarters

HQ city

Schwieberdingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales (Physical Stores): Revenue generated from in-store sales across 21 physical Erlebnismärkte (experience markets) in Germany and Austria, offering approximately 50,000 pet supply products across multiple animal categories.
2. Online E-commerce Sales: Revenue from direct online sales through koelle-zoo.de, including home delivery with free shipping threshold (49€ in Germany), and Click & Collect options bridging digital and physical channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kölle Zoo is a German specialty pet retailer operating 21 large-format Erlebnismärkte experience stores (averaging 2,500 m²) and the koelle-zoo.de e-commerce platform, selling approximately 50,000 pet food and accessory SKUs across seven animal categories. The company complements retail sales with services including Click & Collect, pet adoption, breeder programs, children's educational tours, and exclusive private-label brands (Lottis Häppchen, Tikaani, Mincas Häppchen, Lottis Freunde, Lottis Piepmätze).

Product overview

Kölle Zoo is a German pet supplies retailer (Tierfachmarkt) operating both an e-commerce platform and 21 physical experience markets (Erlebnismärkte) across Germany and Austria. The product portfolio spans seven main categories: Dogs (Hund), Cats (Katze), Aquarium (Aquaristik), Small Pets (Kleintier), Terrarium (Terraristik), Birds (Vogel), and Garden & Pond (Garten & Teich). Core offerings include pet food (including exclusive private labels Lottis Häppchen, Tikaani, Mincas Häppchen, Lottis Freunde, and Lottis Piepmätze), toys, habitats, care products, and accessories. The company also sells premium branded products including Red Sea aquariums and TRIXIE pet supplies. Services include online shopping, Click & Collect, and educational blog content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lottis Häppchen: Exclusive brand for Kölle Zoo offering over 600 products for dog nutrition including BARF frozen meat, wet and dry food, and natural treats
• Lottis Freunde
• Lottis Piepmätze
• Mincas Häppchen
• Tikaani

Products and services

• Kölle Zoo Online Shop E-commerce storefront at koelle-zoo.de offering approximately 50,000 pet supply SKUs across dog, cat, aquarium, small pet, terrarium, bird, and garden & pond categories, with customer accounts, wishlists, rebuy, newsletter, and mobile optimization. Free delivery in Germany for orders over 49€.
• Kölle Zoo Erlebnismärkte (Experience Markets) 21 physical pet retail experience markets in Germany (20), Austria (5), and Belgium (1), averaging 2,500 m² of retail space each, offering qualified expert advice, live animal sales, BARF specialty sections, Click & Collect pickup, adoption events, breeder services, and children's educational tours.
• Lottis Häppchen

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JoseracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKölle Zoo is a certified partner of Josera (Josera Petfood), working closely with Josera to continuously develop and secure quality, innovation, and sustainable solutions. This is a quality partnership where both companies collaborate on product development and brand representation, with dedicated partner branding displayed on Kölle Zoo's website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fressnapf: Fressnapf is the largest pet retail chain in Europe with ~2,000 stores and a strong DACH omnichannel presence, making it the most direct competitor to Kölle Zoo across food, accessories, and live animal sales.
• Das Futterhaus: Das Futterhaus is a German pet specialty retailer with over 130 stores offering food, accessories, and expert advice, directly comparable in concept and customer base to Kölle Zoo's Erlebnismärkte.
• ZooRoyal (REWE Group): ZooRoyal is a German online and physical pet supplies retailer owned by REWE Group, directly comparable to Kölle Zoo in product breadth, omnichannel strategy, and target customer.
• Maxi Zoo (HAGENBRAND Group / Fressnapf): Maxi Zoo is a major pet retail chain in Austria and parts of DACH, directly competing with Kölle Zoo in the Austrian market across physical stores and online.
• Zooplus: Zooplus is one of Europe's leading pure-play online pet supplies retailers, competing directly with Kölle Zoo's e-commerce channel on price, assortment, and delivery convenience.
• Pets at Home: Pets at Home is the UK's leading pet care retail and services chain, operating superstores with grooming and veterinary services—a business model highly comparable to Kölle Zoo's Erlebnismärkte concept.

Regional players

• Tom & Co. (Colruyt Group): Tom & Co. is a Belgian pet retail chain owned by Colruyt Group, offering products and in-store grooming services across Belgium—a regional overlap with Kölle Zoo's Sankt Vith location.

Emerging players

• Bitiba: Bitiba is a European online pet supplies retailer (sister brand to Zooplus) focused on value pricing, competing with Kölle Zoo's e-commerce channel on price-sensitive customers.

Broad incumbents

• PetSmart: PetSmart is the largest North American specialty pet retailer; while regional rather than direct, it operates a comparable large-format pet retail + services + omnichannel model relevant to Kölle Zoo's strategic benchmarks.
• PETCO: PETCO is a major US omnichannel pet retailer offering food, supplies, grooming, and veterinary services; comparable to Kölle Zoo in omnichannel pet retailing, though operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/koellezoo
• Facebookfacebook.com/koellezoo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/18668315
• Instagraminstagram.com/koellezoo_official
• Pinterestpinterest.de/koellezoo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kolle Zoo