Cooperation with Fressnapf Group in Heideloh expanded

The international supply chain and e-commerce service provider and the market leader for pet supplies in Europe have extended the contract for their cooperation until 2025. As a result, Arvato will continue to be responsible for the entire e-commerce logistics for the Fressnapf Group's online shop over the next five years.

"For Arvato, as well as for Fressnapf, service and customer focus are our top priorities. That is why we are confident that the partnership will continue to provide a strong foundation for further growth in online retail and as part of our cross-channel strategy," says Torsten Toeller, company founder and owner and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fressnapf Group. Frank Stauß, Site Manager of Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Großzöberitz-Heideloh, is happy to take up this praise: "We are pleased that we can continue to impress with our know-how and have become Fressnapf's strategic growth partner."

Since 2015, Arvato Supply Chain Solutions has been storing, picking and packing items from the pet supplies supplier's range of 12,000 products at its site in Saxony-Anhalt – from aquariums to dog food to tick collars. More than two million parcels per year are now delivered from Heideloh to end customers and specialist stores in the stationary trade. And the trend is still rising, as the corona crisis has given online retail a significant boost.

The logistics service provider is prepared for additional quantities, both technically and structurally. In the fall of last year, Arvato Supply Chain Solutions expanded its floor space in Heideloh from 24,000 square meters to 36,000 square meters. To this end, additional parts of the building from the former Neckermann site, where the distribution center is located, were rented and tailored to Arvato's needs. "During ongoing operations, we restructured the warehouse and equipped it with additional conveyor technology so that it meets the increasing demands on e-commerce fulfillment," explains Frank Stauß. Since the most recent expansion, 19,000 shelving spaces and 24,000 pallet racking spaces have been available. Over-the-counter medicines, such as sprays to protect against ticks and fleas, can now also be stored in a special area of the logistics centre and made ready for dispatch.

Shipments to end customers are not only carried out in Germany and Luxembourg, as was the case at the beginning of the cooperation, but now also in Austria and Poland. In the short and medium term, other European countries will be added. In addition to shipping, the range of services also includes the logistical handling of returned goods as well as the Europe-wide storage and delivery of hazardous substances. In addition to the end customer supply, Heideloh also supplies specialist stores in Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. Hungary will be the next country to be added to the network of store deliveries.

Arvato Supply Chain Solutions currently employs around 400 people in Heideloh. "In order to be able to handle the continuously increasing order volume in the best possible way, we need additional personnel," emphasizes Frank Stauß. There are currently 60 vacancies, half of them in logistics. In addition to warehouse logistics specialists, we are looking for clerks, training coordinators and mechatronics engineers. "Online retail is a growth market," says the site manager, drawing attention to the increasing importance of the industry. Since the start of the cooperation with Fressnapf five years ago, Arvato Supply Chain Solutions has quadrupled the number of employees in Heideloh.