OUR CUSTOMER'S NEEDS

RealVet imports and distributes veterinary healthcare products in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and through associates into Poland and Hungary.

At RealVet, we are very close to our customers. Each of us involved in RealVet has been active in the veterinary market for more than 15 years. We know each of our customers personally. In many cases they are our friends. We have seen them grow. We have seen them work through difficulties. We really know who they are. And we try and help their businesses do better by providing them the best products and services.

We work the same way with our suppliers, sitting down with them and working out the best way how they can meet the needs of our customers, and how best they can build market share.

If you don’t find what you need on these pages, or want to talk about something else, feel free to call me on +420 777 038 333, Daria Zaplatelova, or write to me on zapletalova@realvet.eu.

Our sales team is our most important asset. They are experts, but more importantly, each one has more than 15 years’ experience in the veterinary market and it’s various segments. The philosophy of RealVet is that while expertise is the foundation, the most important factor following this is a relationship with the customer. And we all know that relationship building and trust requires time and sincere effort: and there are no shortcuts. As a result, we believe at RealVet that there is no substitute for experience, and we place a big emphasis on all our sales people being intimately acquainted with the market and with customers.

During their careers, all of our salespeople have worked for the leading multinationals. They now have chosen to apply their expertise to working on a more individual basis introducing new products to their customers. All individuals are professionals with deep experience in the field, responsible for daily contact with customers, introducing new products, solving problems, and ensuring quick and smooth communications.

While selling is the focus, the experience of RealVet staff also includes the preparation of marketing strategies for the introduction of new products, selection of advertising channels, execution of congress presentation, consulting in price setting, etc.

Overall, RealVet people enjoy introducing innovative and special products that support the growth of our customers and improve the quality of their services.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, distribution channels work differently than in many large European countries, where the size of the market allows larger players to undertake their own physical distribution of pharmaceutical products.

In the first place, veterinary doctors and clinics do not invest into holding any inventory. They are used to place orders every day, and take daily deliveries literally on an “as-needed” basis. This expectation has been driven by the formation of a few very large independent distribution companies that focus exclusively on the daily physical distribution of products from all suppliers to target customers.

Each pharmaceutical company then has its own representative office that performs all the other functions necessary for success: importing, warehousing, marketing, personal selling, and everything else not directly related to physical distribution. This is exactly the role that RealVet fulfills for its suppliers.

Legislative registration requirements in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are similar to other EU countries. The actual process is governed by the standard EU directives, but also includes strong local legislation. Registration process and requirements are based on the composition and active ingredients of the product, and is classified as either veterinary pharmaceuticals that must undergo a registration process, veterinary supplements, and products that do not require any registration.

In contrast to most EU countries, the Czech and Slovak Republics have quite an extensive list of active substances that are prohibited, even though these substances are approved for use in the EU (e.g., chloramphenicol, stilbene, or anabolic steroids). Registration of these substances is not possible.

Veterinary Pharmaceuticals:

Absolutely key is what level of registration the product already has:

1. 1. European registration (centralized registration) – automatic registration in the Czech and Slovak Republics, processing is purely administrative and low cost, in line with EU directive no. 726/2004.
2. 2. Country registration (decentralized registration) – if, for example, the product is registered in Germany only (and not under the EU directive), then a more lengthy and costly process is involved, using the guidelines in EU directive 82/2001.
3. 3. First-time registration – as indicated, this registration is for products not registered centrally or in any other EU member state, and that need to go through a very length and costly process including clinical trials proving their efficacy and that they pose no health threats.

Veterinary Supplements:

The registration of supplements (contain no active ingredient) is relatively quick and inexpensive.

RealVet is capable of obtaining the relevant registrations either on behalf of the supplier or manufacturer, or on its own account, based on mutual agreement and the distribution strategy.