Pets Premium

Pets Premium GmbH operates as an online retailer in the premium pet food and supplies sector, based in Munich, Germany. Founded in March 2011 by Marco Hierling, the company was established to provide pet owners with a curated selection of high-quality food and accessories from reputable manufacturers. Hierling, who serves as CEO, brought experience from his time as a consultant at Capgemini and holds a degree in business administration, which informed the company's market approach.

The company's business model is centered on e-commerce, offering a diverse range of products for dogs, cats, and horses through its website, petspremium.de. This direct-to-consumer approach is supplemented by a content strategy that includes a knowledge blog, providing value-based and consulting-focused marketing to its customers. Pets Premium primarily serves pet owners who are shifting from economy to premium pet food, driven by a growing awareness of pet health. Revenue is generated through the sale and distribution of these products. For a period, customers also had the option for in-store pickup from a flagship store in Munich.

Initially an independent online retailer, Pets Premium underwent a significant strategic change in May 2016 when it merged with ePetWorld GmbH to form a new parent company, AlphaPet Ventures GmbH. This merger brought together two key players in the German online pet supply market to establish healthy pet food in the mainstream. Before the merger, Pets Premium had secured €1.5 million in a venture capital round from Reimann Investors in June 2015. As a subsidiary of AlphaPet Ventures, the business model evolved from pure e-commerce to a digital brand developer, eventually leading to a focus on its own brands and the discontinuation of selling third-party brands to better serve customer needs.

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