November 11, 2020 – Entrepreneur Ženja Moskaljov and his associate Iva Antolić turned a great idea into a good business move and set up the first pet food vending machine on Mainz Street in Zagreb.
As Večernji list / Mateja Ježovita reports, the owner of the vending machine with five food products, Ženja Moskaljov, and his associate Iva Antolić placed the machine in front of the Dog & Style store on Grada Mainza Street in Zagreb. After extensive research, they say, they are almost certain that it is the only such apparatus in Europe, as there is no record of any other.
Insert coins, treats come out – but for dogs!
Put in coins or banknotes, grab a juice, snacks, coffee, chocolate… And go. This is roughly how self-service vending machines work, which we can see at almost every turn in waiting rooms, various institutions, health care institutions, bakeries… They are simple and practical. Two colleagues came to the idea to put food and other things for animals inside them, and so the first self-service pet food vending machine in Croatia was created. Well, not only in Croatia.
“There is no such machine in Croatia or the region. The only thing I managed to find on the Internet is that similar models are found in China,” Moskaljov points out.
He got the idea for the pet food vending machine at a business lunch in June, when he talked with a friend and business partner about vending machines, so the thought came that he could offer products for animals as well.
“Then he helped me to and connected me with the company Automatik servis from Buzet, which sold me the device,” the entrepreneur says.
The vending machine has been in front of the store since August, it works from 0 to 24, and you can buy basic products such as daily meals, sweets, toys, garbage bags… That is, what every pet owner needs almost daily.
More pet food vending machines to come
“We have carefully studied which products are best sold when customers go for a walk with the dog or hang out in cafes where pets can have fun with their treats and while the store is not open. We left the prices the same as in the store, and they range from 10 to 25 kuna,” says Moskaljov.
They plan to have two more locations this year where they would install the same vending machine, but they have not revealed the addresses yet. And in addition to the success of the vending machine, he is also satisfied with the work of the store he opened seven years ago.
“In the beginning, it was just one type of food and a very scarce supply of dog equipment in a much smaller store. As the need for new products and services grew, so did the range change and supplement, so that the crown of the five-year business would be the opening of a new store. And with the new ‘three in one’ concept, which includes a pet shop, a veterinary pharmacy, and a dog grooming salon. So that pet owners can get everything in one place. The company’s revenues continue to grow from month to month, not at the rates from the beginning, but compared to 2019, they are certainly 60 percent higher,” said the entrepreneur proudly.
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