EQS-News: Fressnapf extends contract and digital partnership with q.beyond to end of 2026

Fressnapf extends contract and digital partnership with q.beyond to end of 2026

• Service package includes consulting, application services, and cloud services
• Digital partnership for numerous new staff and customer services
• Store services across Europe via q.beyond

Cologne, 21 February 2023 The Fressnapf Group, Europes market leader for pet supplies, has extended its existing master agreement and its digital development partnership with the IT service provider q.beyond for four years to the end of 2026. The package covers numerous services, ranging from consulting to application services to IT infrastructure services. Examples include providing SAP systems in the HANA Enterprise Cloud via Microsoft Azure, related application management services and extensive support for Fressnapfs current digitalisation offensive.

From SAP to new digital services

q.beyond will extend its existing services in the SAP environment by accompanying key future developments, in particular by offering consulting services. These relate, for example, to the conversion to SAP RISE and the future migration to SAP S/4HANA. Fressnapf is also drawing on q.beyonds consulting and application management services to transfer additional applications to Microsoft Azure.

q.beyond will continue to operate incident and application management across the whole of Europe for the POS systems from GK Software used at all Fressnapf stores. This covers the total of around 1,800 Fressnapf stores in eleven European countries. Furthermore, q.beyond will provide the user help desk in six languages for the entire application landscape at all stores.

For its IT cloud operations, Fressnapf will continue to draw on services from q.beyonds certified high-security data centres in the coming years as well. This way, it will benefit from stable high-availability resources where data is guaranteed to remain in Germany. Fressnapf will obtain greater flexibility when it comes to connecting and disconnecting IT capacities. This is a particularly important topic for retailers, who may temporarily need additional resources to conduct sales campaigns.

Digitalisation offensive at Fressnapf

We are delighted that, with q.beyond, we will now have an IT service partner at our side in the years ahead as well, one that is familiar with processes at Fressnapf and in our sector right down to the last detail, comments Benjamin Beinroth, CIO of Fressnapf Holding SE. For us, q.beyond is a strategic partner that understands our company in terms both of our business and of our technology. Whats more, q.beyond always deals with us as equals, not least given its focus on SMEs.

q.beyond will support Fressnapfs energetic expansion by providing a broad portfolio of services in future as well, remarks q.beyonds CEO, Jürgen Hermann. These range from infrastructure and connectivity solutions to application services to strategic consulting.

This way, we are not only making it easier for Fressnapf to expand into new countries, adds Thies Rixen, q.beyonds COO, who is due to become the companys new CEO from 1 April. We are also a strategic partner for the numerous innovative solutions that Fressnapf is currently implementing at pace.

New digital services enhanced performance

As part of its digitalisation offensive, Fressnapf is developing a whole range of new digital customer and employee services. These include the employee app Mia and a new mobile payment platform. Soon, this will enable Fressnapfs end customers to make payments directly using the Fressnapf app. For these numerous new digital services at Fressnapf, q.beyond is providing support in various project stages: from consulting via implementation by software developers and architects to application services and operations.

The agreement now extended with q.beyond also meets Fressnapfs increased requirements in terms of connectivity and networking its stores and end customers. In particular, q.beyond is ensuring higher service levels when it comes to accessibility, availability, reliability and response times to enable Fressnapfs new digital services to run smoothly, rapidly and securely. Among other aspects, this also involves connecting stores to Fressnapfs head office via SD-WAN network technologies.
About the Fressnapf Group
Fressnapf Holding SE is the European market leader for pet supplies. Around 1,800 state-of-the-art stores in eleven European countries offer a seamless network of competence to friends and owners of pets from Denmark to Italy. As well as pet food, customers at the stores will also find an extensive range of accessories and services. The Fressnapf Group offers an exhaustive range of exclusive brands in all price categories. More than 11,000 people from over 50 nations work for the Fressnapf Group. Each day, they do all they can to make the life of humans and pets easier and happier.
About q.beyond AG
q.beyond AG is the key to successful digitalisation. We help our customers find the best digital solutions for their business and then put them into practice. Our strong team of 1,100 people accompanies SME customers securely and reliably throughout their digital journey. We are experts in Cloud, SAP, Microsoft and software development. With locations throughout Germany, as well as in Latvia and in Spain, and its own certified data centres, q.beyond is one of Germanys leading IT service providers.
Contact
q.beyond AG
Arne Thull
Head of Investor Relations/Mergers & Acquisitions
T +49 221 669 8724
invest@qbeyond.de
www.qbeyond.de