Photo: ©REWE Group Meerbusch on a warm morning. Simon Bacher’s farm is a hive of activity: there’s the lively wagging of the tail of his young Magyar Vizsla, Frida. There are his goats and chickens, peering curiously over the fence. For Simon Bacher, this environment is not a stark contrast to his job as a self-employed REWE retailer, but rather the source of his inspiration. This is precisely where the new, multi-part documentary series ‘From Zero to Woof’ begins. The series follows the 37-year-old and his team up close as they work towards a real milestone:
the opening of the first ZooRoyal specialist retail store in North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2026.

Simon Bacher’s passion for retail was instilled in him from an early age. “I’ve worked all my life in my parents’ farm shop – they’re farmers,” he explains. “Of course I enjoyed driving a tractor, but what I loved most was working alongside my mum in the farm shop, which is how my greatest wish developed – to one day become a REWE store manager.” After studying business administration and gaining experience at various large corporations, he realised this dream: since the summer of 2025, he has been successfully running his own REWE store in nearby Haan.

But when the REWE Group decided to roll out the successful omnichannel concept of the specialist retail brand ZooRoyal in the west as a brick-and-mortar venture too, he didn’t hesitate for a second. Pet supplies are a project very close to the heart of this passionate animal lover. In the first episode of the documentary series, Bacher takes viewers into his two worlds – his farm and his supermarket – and explains his personal motivation for taking this bold step.

A strong team: Simon Bacher with his wife and their dog Frida. Photo: ©REWE Group In the second episode, the documentary shifts its focus to the hectic run-up to the opening of the new shop in Düsseldorf-Lichtenbroich. This is where Bacher’s deeply rooted philosophy becomes evident: “In our company, our philosophy is quite simply: ‘We are a family’.”

He lives by this ethos consistently: Simon Bacher offers the children of his staff a guaranteed apprenticeship and gives priority to hiring family members of his team. For the ZooRoyal specialist shop, he has put together a diverse team of genuine industry professionals – from passionate aquarists to a qualified dog groomer for the integrated ‘FellSpa’. This is essential, as the pet supplies sector differs fundamentally from a traditional supermarket: “In the food retail sector, it’s all about having the stock available and ensuring customers can get through the till quickly,” explains Bacher in an interview for the series. “Pet supplies are exactly the opposite. It’s about providing good advice; it’s about trust.”

A central theme that runs like a common thread through the documentary series is the strength of the cooperative principle. Over the course of the episodes, Simon Bacher makes it clear that, for him, the cooperative is far more than just an organisational model – it is an existential anchor of security and a compass for values. “For me, a co-operative means community. And community means supporting one another and being able to learn from one another,” he emphasises.

Particularly in economically challenging times, he values the long-term focus of the REWE community: “To me, a co-operative means stability. There’s no gambling involved. It’s not about returns. It’s all about one thing: what will we be doing in ten years’ time? And this forward-thinking approach, taking responsibility for the next generation – I believe these are the values that we ourselves embody.”

The final episode of the series follows Simon Bacher through the final preparations ahead of the opening on 16 July 2026 – authentic, honest and up close – including the last-minute work and stress. On camera, a genuine shopping experience is created across more than 1,400 square metres of retail space, combining the strengths of REWE and ZooRoyal. With over 15,000 products, a state-of-the-art aquarium department, dog-washing stations, a pet pharmacy and veterinary advice from Medivet, the store becomes a true oasis of well-being for people and pets alike.

Frida the dog consistently acts as the strictest critic and ‘chief product tester’. With a touch of humour and a whole lot of heart, ‘Von Null auf Wau’ depicts the genuine, emotional journey of a modern retailer who proves that tradition and the future complement each other perfectly in modern retail.