DGAP-News: zooplus AG: Changes in the Management Board of zooplus AG

zooplus AG: Changes in the Management Board of zooplus AG

Munich, October 8, 2018 - zooplus AG (WKN 511170, ISIN DE0005111702, ticker symbol ZO1), Europe's leading online retailer of pet supplies, announces changes to the Management Board of zooplus AG.

After 18 successful years at zooplus, Ms. Andrea Skersies will leave the company on November 30, 2018. Andrea Skersies is a member of the Management Board since 2005 and is responsible for Sales and Marketing. Under her leadership, total sales grew from less than EUR 30 million p.a. to over EUR 1.1 billion - with a market-leading position in all continental European markets and a sophisticated digital multi-channel and multi-brand strategy. Ms. Skersies has made the decision to set other priorities in her future professional and private life following an exciting and intensive time at zooplus.

As of December 1, 2018, Florian Welz (39) will join the zooplus AG Management Board and will be responsible for Vendor Management (Procurement/Category Management) and Sales. In his last position, Florian Welz served as CEO of a subsidiary of the Kingfisher Group in Germany and prior to that was the COO for the e-commerce multichannel division of the Media-Saturn Group. With an extensive wealth of experience gained through numerous international assignments and through frequent overall corporate responsibility, Florian Welz is ideally qualified to take over the position as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

At the same time, the Logistics division will in future become an independent division of the Executive Board. So far, this function within the Executive Board was the technical responsibility of the CEO. Dr. Mischa Ritter (44), who has been with the company since 2012, has managed the Logistics division since 2015. Important advances such as the successful expansion of capacity through new fulfillment centres in Antwerp, Birmingham, Boleslawiec, Mühldorf, Madrid and Krosno, the reduction of costs per parcel and the significantly improved inventory turnover are part of his active period as COO. The appointment of Dr. Ritter to the Management Board will take effect on December 1, 2018 and demonstrates the special appreciation of the person and function.

Christian Stahl, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of zooplus AG, in his comments on the change in the Management Board says: "Andrea Skersies has played a key role in zooplus AG's success for almost 18 years and its evolution as the European market leader in online pet supplies. The Supervisory Board would like to thank Ms. Skersies very much for her dedication and her excellent work in building up zooplus AG. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors. At the same time, we are delighted to have Florian Welz, an experienced retailing and ecommerce expert, joining us here at zooplus AG. With the appointment of Dr. Ritter to the board member for Logistics / COO, we are taking a further step towards strengthening management. We are very confident that in the new structure with Dr. Cornelius Patt (CEO), Andreas Grandinger (CFO), Dr. Mischa Ritter (COO) and Florian Welz (CCO) we are well organized to continue the zooplus success story in the future."

Dr. Cornelius Patt, CEO of zooplus AG, adds: "I would like to thank Andrea Skersies personally and on behalf of the entire zooplus team for her consistent and passionate work in developing zooplus as the clear market leader in online pet supplies. Andrea Skersies has done an excellent job in expanding zooplus's sales internationally, strengthening customer loyalty and developing the zooplus private labels. We wish her all the best in the future. With Florian Welz as a new Board member and his expertise, we will merge the areas of vendor management and sales. The development of logistics as an independent board department under Dr. Mischa Ritter rounds off the realignment. Together with the entire zooplus team, we will successfully continue on our path to achieving EUR 2 bn in sales in 2020, becoming the market leader in the entire pet supplies market and the industry leader in customer loyalty."

Company profile:
zooplus AG was founded in 1999 and today is Europe's leading online retailer of pet supplies measured by sales. zooplus already occupies the No. 2 market position in the combined market for online and brick-and-mortar retailers of pet supplies. In the 2017 financial year, sales totaled EUR 1,111 m, roughly 75% of which was generated internationally. The company's business model has been launched successfully in 30 European countries. zooplus sells products for all major pet breeds. The product range includes pet food (dry and wet food and food supplements) and accessories such as scratching posts, dog baskets, and toys in all price categories. In addition to a selection of over 8,000 products, zooplus customers benefit from a variety of interactive content and community offerings. The pet supplies market is an important market segment in the European retail landscape. Sales of pet food and accessories within the European Union amount to around EUR 26 bn. Based on the continued vigorous growth anticipated in the European e-commerce market, zooplus expects its dynamic performance to continue.

Online at: www.zooplus.de

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