Sagaflor AG

Sagaflor AG (stylised SAGAFLOR, an abbreviation of "SAmen GArten FLORistik") is a German service centre and cooperative group (Verbundgruppe) for independent garden centres and pet specialty retailers in the German-speaking region. Founded in 1965 by independent seed-trade specialist retailers in Frankfurt, it was created as a purchasing community to pool buying volume and secure better supplier terms against chain competitors. Today it supports partner businesses at more than 700 locations across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, offering services in purchasing and category management, finance, IT, marketing, logistics and personnel development. The company moved to its first office in Kassel in 1968, expanded into pet supplies under the Sagazoo brand in 1980, and relocated to a new headquarters in Baunatal in 1990. In 2002 it converted into a stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft), with affiliated partner companies becoming shareholders. During this period it established its current location brands: grün erleben (1995), Zoo & Co. (2003), Tier Total (2004) and da blüh ich auf (2007). In 2015 the headquarters moved back to Kassel into a new building of 6,200 square metres with a roughly 600-square-metre exhibition area used for in-house import fairs. Sagaflor operates as a franchise and cooperative group. Partners can join one of four location brands — grün erleben and da blüh ich auf in the garden segment, Zoo & Co. and Tier Total in the pet segment — or participate as base partners using central services such as joint purchasing, imports, rebates, own brands, market information and central settlement. The group works with around 550 contract suppliers and manages a broad assortment from discount to premium. In pet logistics it cooperates with wholesalers and runs its own central warehouse. All assortment work is steered centrally from Kassel. Sagaflor also develops and markets more than 20 own product brands across both garden and pet segments. Since 2019 it has organised the PRO garten & tier trade fair in Kassel, successor to the Garten- und Zooevent, which in 2024 drew 160 exhibitors and 1,500 visitors over two days. In sustainability, it has pursued a CO₂ reduction strategy since 2021, saving over 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ in a pilot phase, and installed a 122-module photovoltaic system on its Kassel headquarters roof in 2023. In August 2022 it co-founded Euro Plant Tray eG, an initiative for a Europe-wide reusable plant-tray system. In the 2023 financial year it generated EUR 56 million in its own business and EUR 289 million in central settlement volume.

Sagaflor was founded in 1965 by independent specialist retailers from the seed trade in Frankfurt. The aim was to act as a purchasing community, pooling purchasing volume to obtain common supplier conditions and strengthen the position of garden businesses against chain competitors. In 1968 the company moved into its first office in Kassel. In 1980 the business field was expanded to include pet supplies, introduced under the Sagazoo brand. In 1990 the company moved to a new corporate headquarters in Baunatal, which was repeatedly expanded to create additional office and warehouse space. In the 2000s Sagaflor AG began introducing modern IT systems to improve its business processes. A significant step was the implementation of the SAP industry solution csShop, developed specifically for cooperative groups and franchise systems. This solution enabled more efficient control of processes both at the headquarters and in affiliated specialty stores. Later Sagaflor AG implemented SAP as its central ERP solution and developed the "Warenwirtschaftslösung (WWL)" for partner businesses on that basis, integrating processes such as POS systems, replenishment disposition and master data management. In 2002 the company converted into a stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft); the affiliated partner companies became shareholders of Sagaflor AG. During this period the current location brands were established: grün erleben (1995), Zoo & Co. (2003), Tier Total (2004) and da blüh ich auf (2007). In 2013 Zoo & Co. also launched its own online shop. In 2015 Sagaflor moved its corporate headquarters from Baunatal back to Kassel to enable further growth. The new building has an area of 6,200 square metres and an approximately 600-square-metre exhibition area where, among other things, the company's own import fairs for partner businesses are regularly held. Since 2019 Sagaflor AG has organised the "PRO garten & tier" trade fair in Kassel, regarded as the successor to the "Garten- und Zooevent" fair. The fair targets trade visitors from the garden and pet trade and offers an overview of assortments, trends and new products. In 2024, 160 exhibitors presented their products to 1,500 visitors over two days. In the area of sustainability, Sagaflor AG has pursued a strategy to reduce CO₂ emissions since 2021. In the pilot phase, over 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ were saved. In 2023 a photovoltaic system with 122 modules was installed on the roof of the Kassel headquarters, covering more than a quarter of the company's annual electricity consumption. In August 2022 Sagaflor AG was a co-founder of Euro Plant Tray eG, an initiative to develop a Europe-wide uniform reusable system for plant trays. In the 2023 financial year Sagaflor AG generated revenue of EUR 56 million in its own business and central settlement revenue of EUR 289 million. The company's headquarters in Kassel employs around 180 people, from where affiliated independent businesses are supported. Services include the development of assortment concepts, location planning, (digital) marketing solutions, its own ERP merchandise management solution and central settlement models. Partners of Sagaflor AG can join the location brands grün erleben (garden), da blüh ich auf (garden), Zoo & Co. (pet) or Tier Total (pet), or use central services as base partners in the garden and/or pet segment, such as joint purchasing, imports, rebates, own product brands, market information and central settlement. Around 550 contract suppliers supply Sagaflor's partners. Affiliated retailers can choose from a large number of articles ranging from discount programmes to the premium segment, covering all important areas. In pet logistics, Sagaflor AG cooperates with wholesalers and operates its own central warehouse. All assortment work is steered centrally from Kassel. As central management, Sagaflor AG unites four location brands and also distributes more than 20 own product brands. The garden location brands are grün erleben and da blüh ich auf; in the pet segment they are Tier Total and Zoo & Co. The Kassel headquarters supports businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in purchasing, sales, marketing, IT and accounting. Zoo & Co. is a franchise brand in the pet specialty trade introduced by Sagaflor in 2001. It bundles independent specialty stores under a common market appearance and offers centrally provided services in assortment management, marketing and logistics. Since 2013 the brand has also sold products via its own online shop. More than 140 pet specialty stores belong to the system. Zoo & Co. is a member of the German Franchise Association. Tier Total was presented by Sagaflor AG in 2004 as a new marketing concept in the pet segment. It targets locations with live-animal departments in particular and envisages a common brand alignment while maintaining legal independence.

• 2024

  PRO garten & tier fair drew 160 exhibitors and 1,500 visitors over two days.

• 2023

  Installed 122-module photovoltaic system on Kassel headquarters roof; generated EUR 56m own business revenue and EUR 289m central settlement revenue.

• 2022

  Co-founded Euro Plant Tray eG in August.

• 2021

  Began CO₂ reduction strategy; pilot phase saved over 1,000 tonnes of CO₂.

• 2019

  Started organising the PRO garten & tier trade fair in Kassel.

• 2015

  Headquarters moved from Baunatal back to Kassel; new building of 6,200 sqm with 600 sqm exhibition area.

• 2013

  Zoo & Co. launched its own online shop.

• 2007

  da blüh ich auf location brand established.

• 2004

  Tier Total marketing concept presented.

• 2003

  Zoo & Co. location brand established.

• 2002

  Converted into a stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft); partner companies became shareholders.

• 2001

  Zoo & Co. franchise brand introduced.

• 1995

  grün erleben location brand established.

• 1990

  Moved to new corporate headquarters in Baunatal.

• 1980

  Expanded into pet supplies under the Sagazoo brand.

• 1968

  Moved into first office in Kassel.

• 1965

  Founded in Frankfurt by independent seed-trade specialist retailers as a purchasing community.

A cooperative service centre and franchise group empowering independent garden and pet retailers through pooled purchasing, central services and own brands.

• grün erleben

  Garden centre brand for independent retailers.

• da blüh ich auf

  Garden centre brand for independent retailers.

• Zoo & Co.

  Pet specialty franchise brand with over 140 stores and an online shop since 2013.

• Tier Total

  Pet retail marketing concept for locations with live-animal departments.

• Own product brands

  More than 20 own product brands across garden and pet segments.

1. 1SAGAFLOR AG - Dienstleistungszentrale und Verbundgruppe für Garten- und Tierfachmärktesagaflor.de
2. 2Sagaflor - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Sagaflor - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org