Interview with Denise Anabella Facchin, CEO of Guaw

GUAW currently has 28 points of sale in Spain, as well as its own online store that operates in the Spanish and Portuguese markets. Its portfolio includes brands such as petsonic and petsfarma by Guaw, which operate in the French, Belgian, Portuguese, and Italian markets.

Question: How many years have you been attending Iberzoo Propet as a professional visitor? How do you rate the evolution of the event during this time?

Answer: I have been attending Iberzoo Propet since I joined the sector in 2014 and as part of Guaw for the last five years. I have seen a very interesting evolution of the fair, which has grown alongside the market and serves as an annual meeting point for professionals in the sector. With each edition, we find greater alignment with the major trends in the sector and a high level of specialization among exhibitors and content.

Q: What motivates you to visit Iberzoo Propet every year? Are you mainly looking to network, discover new products or services, or strengthen relationships with suppliers?

A: The truth is, all three. We love visiting the fair as a team, discovering new products and suppliers, and strengthening our relationships with our partners.

It is an annual meeting point where we interact with other professionals who are specialists in our sector (manufacturers, distributors, retailers, among others) and which allows us to exchange knowledge and market insights.

Q: In a chain like Guaw, how important is it to visit fairs such as Iberzoo Propet to find innovative products and services at the fair to supply your stores?

A: For Guaw, it is very important to be present at this type of event, especially because we are still in the very early stages of the project and are trying to improve every day.

The product range and knowledge of it is essential for the whole team, so we are constantly on the lookout for brands, innovative categories, and improvements that help us offer the best to our customers and their animals and that are environmentally friendly.

Q: In addition to the trade show, are you interested in the professional conferences and parallel activities held at Iberzoo Propet? What type of content or topics provide you with the most value as a professional?

A: Yes, there is always some interesting and topical debate or some training activity that allows us to continue learning. In our case, we particularly value content related to consumer habits, sustainability, and retail transformation. It is very valuable to put the evolution of the pet market in Spain into perspective compared to other markets in Europe and to be able to share experiences and insights with other professionals in the sector, for example, in round tables and discussion forums among professionals.

By comparing different points of view, we can understand where we are and identify opportunities for growth, new areas for improvement within the company, and compare our own business data or learnings.

Q: In a market as dynamic as pet care, do you consider Iberzoo Propet an essential event for keeping up to date with the latest developments?

A: For companies like ours, without a doubt. Every year, more people from our team visit the fair because we are committed to experiencing the pet sector from the inside and sharing our vision of animal health and welfare with our customers.

The pet sector is constantly evolving with new proposals in food, product sustainability, ultra-specialized services, animals as part of the family, advances in health and well-being... and at IberzooPropet we can observe these changes year after year. For long-standing professionals in the sector and for those who want to enter the pet world, it is an essential event.

Q: How does your visit to the fair influence the assortment strategy, services, or trends that you then incorporate into GUAW?

A: It has a big influence. Many of the new developments or products we see at the fair end up impacting what we offer in our physical stores and on our website, whether through the incorporation of new brands, products, partners, or the development of complementary services.

Q- What do you value most when networking at the fair: new suppliers, established manufacturers, international distributors, exchanges with other colleagues in the profession...

A: The diversity of the fair is what makes it interesting for us. We have the opportunity to meet with partners with whom we have a close relationship and with whom we build day by day, and at the same time, we can see new products and create new relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors with whom we have not yet had the opportunity to share experiences. Very interesting relationships always come out of it!

Q-What other international trade shows do you visit besides Iberzoo Propet? What differences do you find between them and the Madrid event?

A-We usually visit international trade shows such as Interzoo in Nuremberg, Zoomark, and we attended the Global Pet Forum in Orlando for the first time. Interzoo has an impressive presence and a very global focus, but for us, the advantage of IberzooPropet is that it focuses on the operations of our main markets (Spain, Portugal, France) and allows us to attend with a large part of the team that is building Guaw. 

Q: Looking to the future, what are your expectations for Iberzoo Propet? What would you like to see or enhance in future editions so that it continues to be an essential event for professionals like yourself?

A: We hope that Iberzoo Propet continues to grow and that we can find many new developments in sustainability and product innovation. In addition, it would be very interesting to promote specific spaces for retailers and suppliers to meet. We hope that IberzooPropet continues to be a key event for the GUAW team in future editions.