"Becoming a lovemark in all cities of Ukraine is the main challenge" – the founder of MasterZoo

"Our company has turned from a Kharkiv-based player into a national one," says Polina Kosharna, co-owner of Suziria Group, about the main change the war has brought to her business.

She is understating it a bit. Suziria Group was the leader of the Ukrainian pet market even before the great war and remained No. 1. The group includes a large distributor of pet products, the MasterZoo chain of stores, and the production of Savory and Half & Half dog and cat food.

The group's revenue tripled from UAH 1.2 billion to UAH 4.6 billion between 2022 and 2024. The number of MasterZoo stores has doubled, and as of November 2025, it has more than 200 outlets.

In an interview with LIGA.net polina Kosharna spoke about the launch of her own plant in Kalush, the challenges of international expansion, and competition with Pethouse and Fozzy.

Military transformation

What changes has the war brought to your company?

on February 23, 90% of our assets were located in Kharkiv. We had a small branch in Kyiv. The pet store chain had 101 stores in central and eastern Ukraine. In March, only 40 were able to operate.

We had frozen warehouses in Kharkiv. We launched the flow of European goods from scratch to temporarily rented warehouses. At the end of 2022, we resumed negotiations with a large warehouse provider in Kyiv. And in December 2023, we opened a new modern distribution center.

Today, the company has evolved from a Kharkiv-based player to a full-fledged national player with its headquarters in Kyiv. We also have branches in Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa.

Has the war affected cooperation with brands?

It certainly did. On the first day of the war, our head of procurement sent a letter of force majeure to all partners.

But we realized that force majeure is not a cancellation of obligations, but a need to renegotiate.

We offered our partners to record our commitments as of the beginning of the war and not to return to them until September 2022. And in the current period, we will take their goods on a prepaid basis.

They were very surprised, but they were happy. They did their best to support us, prioritizing our orders.

Launching our own plant

Will you launch a wet feed plant in Kalush by the end of 2025 as planned?

Yes, we are meeting our deadlines. This project is number one in the company's group.

We are expanding our product line in Ukraine. (The plant will produce meat treats for the Half & Half brand, as well as pouchy – portioned bags of wet pet food). Today, pouches for cats and dogs occupy almost half of the market, so we are creating an additional assortment that we see demand for.

The market growth in Ukraine slowed down significantly in 2025, both in hryvnia and in tons. And this is expected. But the growth is in the economy segment. Therefore, we will produce two segments at the plant. The first one is the most affordable and will be a new brand. We will launch it together with the launch of the plant. And the middle segment – we will continue to produce goods under the existing Half&Half brand. Part of the assortment will be produced in Europe and part in Ukraine.

What market share do you plan to take in the cat and dog spiders?

The entire canned food market is 60,000 tons per year. Our plant will produce 5,000 tons next year and 10,000 tons in 2027. We would like to sell a third of this volume on the international market. Two to three tons will remain in Ukraine. We will take at least 5% of the market in two years.

Will you produce products for other brands at your plant?

Yes, we are negotiating with several foreign and Ukrainian chains to produce canned food under their own brands.

Because despite the fact that pouch factories continue to open in Europe, there are still risks, including reputational ones. Our company has a good reputation in the European and Ukrainian markets.

And I am glad that these negotiations are already on the table and awaiting specific product samples. So far, there are not many companies involved: up to five foreign and Ukrainian companies.

Competition is intensifying in the pet products market. Fozzy is developing the E-Zoo network, MauDau has launched the sale of its own feed. Pethouse started opening offline stores. What are the actions of Suziria Group?

This is expected. We have seen a similar increase in competition in other markets, such as pharmaceuticals and electronics. The pet market has historically been five to seven years late.

However, the strength of our group of companies is that it is not just one business line – we are distributors and retailers, and we own a range of our own brands, operating in the Ukrainian market and internationalizing abroad.

Today we produce and develop seven brands (Savory, Half&Half, Priroda, PURAMUR, Spescial One, Provet, Pet Fashion). We are interested in making sure that the customer finds and chooses in any place convenient for him or her – Aurora, Pethouse, Epicenter or MasterZoo.

Today, our own specialized chain of pet stores and grooming salons MasterZoo is the largest in Ukraine. The expertise of our salespeople and the experience of our pet stores, as well as a carefully selected assortment, are our main assets and our main differentiation.

Plus our capabilities as a distributor. Today, Suziria has the largest coverage in Ukraine in the pet products market – more than 6000 customers. And for any brand entering Ukraine, the shortest way to the consumer is through us.

Foreign markets and the first million euros

Your four brands are represented in 10 European countries. Which countries are you focusing on?

This year we will make our first million euros in international sales. This is a drop in the bucket for the European pet market. But for the team that does this, which is nine people, it is a super victory.

Our task is to focus on Poland, and then on Romania and the Baltic and Adriatic countries (countries with access to the Adriatic Sea – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia).

Ireland and Japan appeared unexpectedly for us. They were never our priority countries, but they came to us on their own with interest in our brands. At first, we received trial orders, and now we are already receiving repeat orders.

What advice would you give to companies looking to sell in Europe?

The first is to have patience and a financial cushion. Understand that expenses will be constant, but turnover will not always be. All successful export companies talk about three to five years of investment, in fact, losses. If you are not ready for this, then prepare yourself first. This is the first piece of advice.

Secondly, there is no such thing as a "European market"; there are individual countries with their own laws and requirements. For example, a truck with goods can be returned because the Best Before labeling in some countries is suitable, while in others it is not – only the date of manufacture should be indicated. You have to repackage it. And it is also very expensive, not everything can be predicted and budgeted.

And the third is local marketing. We had some ridiculous things happen. When we launched Ukrainian content in Poland, it turned out that we had a very neat dog owner in our videos. And our ads were not perceived at all. We re-shooted the content with a more athletic, casual owner. It sounds funny, but this experience is also not cheap.

Regarding investments for three to five years. What amounts are we talking about?

It depends on the ambition, on what kind of turnover you want to get. I would start from the team's salary. The annual salary of the entire team is the minimum financial cushion. So first salary, then marketing.

How does the European consumer differ from the Ukrainian one?

I'll start with what they are the same in. The first is brand loyalty. If I feed my dog something, the first question is: why am I changing its diet? It should be remembered that it is more difficult to enter the consolidated, more mature European market.

Secondly, the European customer is more promo-dependent (focused on discounts, editor's note). But the Ukrainian consumer is gradually coming to this realization as well – promotional dependence in Ukraine is approaching that of Europe. This trend helps us to build similar strategies in Ukraine and Europe.

How do they differ? In Europe, the share of online sales is much higher. Therefore, the presence on online platforms with different rules of SMM and marketing is also an experience we are learning. At first, we worked with Ukrainian contractors. But then we switched to local ones because it was very difficult. In short, the share of e-commerce is bigger, and the specifics of working in it are different.

Another difference is in retail consolidation. In Poland and the Czech Republic, two or three chains close 50% of specialized retail. If you cannot reach an agreement with at least one of the top chains, it is very expensive and difficult to move on.

So in Ukraine, you have to open as many outlets as possible. And in Europe, you have to enter one large specialized chain. But they are very demanding. It is very expensive and takes years of negotiations.

What are the requirements of foreign retailers?

Their first question is: What makes you so unique that we should pay attention to you?

After all, if the network has money, it can order any brand itself. So you have to have a unique formula. And that is why we are proud of our Savory brand, with its superfood recipe. This is what sets us apart even in the European market.

Our Half&Half brand has a youthful design that stands out from the rest. That's why our products are being tried by chains.

Stability is an important issue. A retailer does not want to have a supplier who may disappear in three weeks or months. And here we return to the reputation of our company, which helps us. We have the strength of the Ukrainian brand.

The ability to develop brands also plays a role. When launching an unknown brand, retailers want to understand that this brand will have its own development strategy in the market. That it will not just rely on their shelves. It is important for them.

Network development MasterZoo

You have more than 200 outlets in your network. Have all the new stores reached payback?

We have 203 stores in 38 cities. But it's important to say that we have been at the 200 mark for almost a year. And this year we have devoted to stabilizing and adjusting the system internally. We relocated about 15 stores within one city. We relocated because we realized that we had not reached the point of profitability.

Thanks to the rapid scaling, we realized that demand in different locations is very different. For example, in a store closer to the center, people buy small packages and more products for cats. If the outlet is located on the outskirts of the city, there is more demand for large bags and products for dogs. They may just buy canned food in blocks. And this certainly affected the payback period of the outlet.

This year we have devoted ourselves to restructuring the assortment of our stores in line with demand.

Earlier you mentioned a target of 240 stores by the end of 2024. What influenced the pace of development?

The ultimate goal in the number of stores has definitely not decreased. We are now in an active stage of strategizing and it may even increase. But the most important thing is that we are launching a new website in January. We have great expectations for it, because it is not just about the website, it is about a new customer journey and experience that we are building. Due to the fact that our current website is powered by an external contractor, we have a lot of limitations in the customer experience, which is what we want to get rid of.

We have great ambitions for the combination of online and offline customer journeys. Developing a seamless service is a priority for 2026.

On the web MasterZoo oksana Kirichenko, the new CEO. In one of your interviews, you said that her task is to simplify everything in the network. What processes need to be simplified and what results are expected?

We have realized that our first client is an employee who is in contact with the animal owner every day.

We realized that consultants who are supposed to help people improve their pets' lives do too much work that is not typical for them. They print out invoices, sign documents, change price tags. And they do it for many hours a week. They need to reduce the amount of such work.

The second point is when one order could come from four warehouses to the customer, because the call center sincerely thought that it was easier to send an order from four warehouses than to choose a warehouse where it would be all at once. We have to look at it from the customer's point of view. He doesn't want to communicate with four couriers. He wants to receive his order as quickly as possible, at one time, and to receive fewer phone calls.

These are two examples of what we are changing at a systemic level within the company. And I really like the pace we are going at. Oksana has been with the company for five months. And the changes that have already taken place during this time show that 2026 will be a productive year when these changes will bear fruit.

What results do you hope to achieve in terms of turnover in 2026?

We see the market slowing down. We think that the market will not grow more than 13-14% in hryvnia next year. Our growth targets are always much higher than the market. It will definitely be double-digit growth. Whether it will be 25%, 29% or 30%, we will discuss this in the coming months.

One of the tasks of the new CEO of MasterZoo is to establish e-commerce. What has gone wrong so far?

First, we used a contractor for our online store for too long. They chose a strategy of a unified solution for any online store. And when we realized that our needs were much higher, we started thinking about our own website.

This requires a strong team. We had a change of CEO, then a partial change of the team. We assembled a team from an IT developer to a UX designer.

We also did not have some basic automation, such as collecting information on store balances or reviewing the assortment and efficiency of the warehouse. We solved some of these issues with the help of external audit.

Last year in the sales structure of your network, online sales amounted to 15%. How has this share changed now?

It has changed slightly. Now it is in the range of 17-18% depending on the month. But we understand that in the long run it should reach at least 20%, and more likely 25%.

There are companies, the same Pethouse, which operated only online and became leaders in this segment. Marketplaces are starting to actively sell pet products. How will you win back market share from them?

Of course, a lot of purchases are made on marketplaces. But sellers on such resources rarely really care about the customer, their knowledge of the product and its benefits for the pet, previous experience, and the nature of the request. Plus, for marketplaces, pet products are at best in the top 10 categories. It's definitely not a priority, because there are also electronics, alcohol, etc. We, in turn, as a specialized online pet store with constant support from a consultant, with an expanded selection, content, and product descriptions, will be significantly different from non-specialized pet stores. Our goal is to share our expertise with pet parents so that they know how to make their pets' lives better.This is where we see our role – in the evolutionary transition of people's habit of making a quick and sometimes rash purchase to fill a need to building quality product knowledge in a specialized online pet store.As for Pethouse, I think we will find how to differentiate ourselves from each other. We respect what they do, I'm sure they respect what we do.

What are the other tasks facing the new CEO of the network?

We see a great goal to preserve and develop the expertise to continue improving the quality of life of a pet. After all, its longevity is the biggest requirement of the owner today.

The owner wants his little dog to live 15 plus years. At the same time, it should have healthy teeth, joints, and be active. And for this purpose, we, as a pet store, have to teach the owner something, give him/her tips, and guide him/her. Therefore, expertise, its strengthening, is a great strength of the network. The task of our CEO is to strengthen it.

Seamless service – a combination of online and offline channels of communication with the client – is task number two.

It also means scaling the network with new formats.

Today, we know for sure that we are the undisputed lovemark of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and some small cities. But in some cities, we are just a store with a pretty face. Therefore, becoming a lovemark in all cities of Ukraine is a major challenge.

What are the most popular trends in pet retail today?

First of all, dogs are getting smaller and there is more demand for them. But cats still dominate, and this is a European trend.

The second story is about large packages for reserve. This is influenced by air raids. People buy large packages to avoid going to the store once again. Also, large packaging is often more profitable per kilogram.

Group packaging, such as pouch packaging, has become more popular. And, of course, treats. Previously, these were mostly treats for cats. Now it's the same with dogs – treats are a way of thanking your pet for their unconditional love.

And the last thing is soft spots, clothes – it's not about fashion anymore, it's about warmth. A dog can wear a sweater or tracksuit in an apartment, just like people do, because it's just cold.

We also began to buy animal sedatives more often. They are herbal, so they are not harmful. The demand for them has increased.

What is the share of dog clothes in the sales structure?

Non-food in the pet market is veterinary medicine, filler and fashion, which includes clothing and soft places. I think 3-4% of this market is soft seating plus clothing.

But the market is also changing here. Clothing for animals can already be found in human networks. A lot of players are entering this niche. Not systematically, but rather with capsule collections.

Of course, this is not our core business, but it is what makes our chain a place where you can find the best selection of pet products.

By the way, European and Ukrainian approaches to clothing are very different. Because of the warm winters in Europe, animals mostly wear sleeveless, legless clothes. These are vests and sweaters. In Ukraine, in winter, these are overalls with legs and even boots. It would be very difficult for us to find a non-Ukrainian supplier.