Pet Care

Cat food recorded further growth in current value terms in 2023, despite a double-digit decline in volume. This was mainly due to inflationary pressures, as manufacturers passed on the rising costs of raw materials to consumers. The trend towards…

Dog food recorded positive growth in both volume and current value terms in 2023, following the sluggish performance of the previous year. While value growth was driven partially by price increases, premiumisation and specialisation trends also…

Consistent with a return to busier, more hectic lifestyles in 2023, a growing number of consumers opted for perceived lower maintenance pet options, such as small mammals or those kept in an aquarium or terrarium. As a result, other pet food…

Pet care recorded further growth in current value terms in 2023, despite an overall decline in volume. While inflation remained a key factor in boosting value sales, higher-quality, premium products with added benefits also supported growth to some…

Despite ongoing inflationary pressures, pet products continued to show modest growth in current value terms in 2023. With consumers returning to increasingly busy lifestyles, the acknowledged role of pets in creating balance in otherwise stressful…

Sales of cat food are expected to register a moderate rise in value terms in 2024. The cat population in Belgium continues to rise albeit at a slower rate than the rate seen in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. However,…

There are far more cats than dogs in France and while the cat population decreased in 2023 it is expected to stabilise in 2024 and could even increase slightly. Local associations reported a drop in pet adoptions in 2023 whilst abandonments remained…

Sales of cat food recorded moderate volume growth across all categories in 2023. This was accompanied by strong growth in current value terms which was largely the result of elevated inflation and price increases introduced by retailers and companies…

In 2023, the UK experienced a marginal decline in the cat population, whereby the rate of abandonment surpassed the rate of adoption, resulting in an overall retail volume decline for cat food. Despite the increasing popularity of cats as companions,…

Value sales of dog food in Belgium are expected to rise in 2024. Despite inflationary measures, increased prices, and a higher dog abandonment rate than in previous years, the dog population is still growing, albeit at more moderate levels than in…

Dog food registered double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was largely due to the impact of price rises with sales declining in retail volume terms in both dry and wet dog food. A similar pattern has continued into 2024 with…

Sales of dog food recorded modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023 but this this was still relatively impressive given the economic challenges facing many owners and the impact of significant price rises on the market. The price increases seen…

Despite a slowdown in the unit price growth of dog food in the UK, influenced by a reduction in energy and electricity costs, manufacturers and suppliers are still passing on some costs to end consumers. Challenges resulting from key commodities such…

The value sales of other pet food in Belgium are set to rise in 2024. However, the populations of reptiles, birds and fish continue to drop as the cost of housing and looking after these animals has risen over the previous couple of years. The…

Sales of cats and dogs in pet shops and superstores and garden centres is now forbidden due to a new law that came into effect on 1 January 2024, but the sale of small mammals, birds, fish and reptiles remains authorised. Nonetheless, in late 2022,…

Other pet food registered a slight decline in retail volume terms in 2023 although this was supplemented by an increase in current value terms, with value growth boosted by price increases implemented by companies in response to rising costs. Despite…

In 2024, against the current economic challenges and an observable decline in the dog and cat populations in 2023, a distinctive 6% surge has been witnessed in the small mammal/reptile population in the UK. This rise can be attributed to the…

Despite a slowdown in the Belgian pet population, the pet care industry continues to benefit from an increase in food volume growth and a moderate increase especially of cats and dogs. The population slowdown has been consistent since the aftermath…

France’s pet population remained relatively stable in 2023, albeit dropping slightly from the peak in 2022 as financial pressures took their tool and consumers looked for savings. When looking at dogs, small and medium-sized dogs remained the most…

Pet care was among the hardest hit industries by inflation and general price increases in Italy, at least in the first half of 2023. However, these price increases were not seen across the board in all distribution channels, with the biggest…

Persistent challenges of inflation and ongoing supply chain disruptions that characterised 2023 are still being observed in pet care in the UK, although unit price growth is starting to slow. Multinational pet food companies face ongoing obstacles…

Sales of pet products are expected to record moderate growth in value terms in 2024. Pet products continue to grow in value in Belgium, as inflation has also hit these types of products causing price rises. However, many owners have reduced the…

Cat litter sales saw dynamic double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 although this was largely due to the general increase in prices rather than a significant increase in demand. A similar pattern has continued into 2024, albeit prices…

The cat litter category has evolved a lot over the years and continues to do so. Manufacturers and consumers of cat litter are increasingly favouring products with sustainable materials and options which provide greater comfort to cats. As seen in…

Pet products in the UK continues to be challenged, experiencing slow positive value growth driven by inflation. Pet owners remain reluctant to invest in discretionary pet products, caused by the enduring impact of inflationary pressures. This is…

In 2024, cat food in Denmark is poised for growth, albeit slightly below the level seen in 2023. This subdued performance is partly due to a reduction in the cat adoption rate, linked to Danes returning to pre-pandemic routines and grappling with…

In 2024 dog food Denmark is poised for modest volume growth and somewhat slower current value growth than seen in the previous year of the review period. This limited expansion is due to category maturity and a declining dog population, influenced by…

In Denmark, other pet foods, such as that suitable for birds, fish, small mammals, and reptile food, has continued to decline in retail volume terms throughout the latter half of the review period, including in 2023. This contraction is tied to a…

In Denmark, the pet population is declining due to rising living costs and a return to pre-pandemic lifestyles. 2023 registered a decrease in new dog registrations, signalling a probable reduction in the overall canine population by the end of 2024.…

With the total pet population in Denmark shrinking due to the rising cost of living and the resumption of pre-pandemic routines, overall demand for pet products slowed in 2023, and this is set to continue in 2024. In the other pet products category,…

Trading down did not have a significant impact on sales of cat food in 2023 despite price increases and a sharp rise in the cost of living. The quality of the cat food remains a top priority for Finns and thus they are generally reluctant to trade…

There has been a growing demand for high-quality customer service when owners go shopping for their cats, with people increasingly looking for treatments and services as well as food and products for their beloved pets. Pet City, which is the leading…

In 2024, cat food in Ireland is expected to continue to see retail current value growth stem from price escalations. However, the rise in the average unit price of cat food is projected to be slower than in 2023. This is predicted to lead to a lower…

Cat food manufacturers saw raw material and production costs surge in 2022 and while several players initially opted to delay passing cost increases on to consumers so as not to undermine their competitiveness this strategy become unviable for most…

Cat food continues to see confident growth in Spain in 2024, in both value and volume terms, with sales outperforming those seen in dog food. This is supported by the rising number of cat-owning households in Spain, along with consumers owning more…

In cat food in the Netherlands, mid-priced brands like Whiskas have benefited as some consumers previously buying premium options, especially in wet cat food, traded down. As cats are often more sensitive than dogs to changes in their diet,…

The pet dog population remained stable in 2023 but households came under growing pressure due to high inflation and a rise in the cost of living. This was reflected in double-digit growth in current value terms in dog food but only modest growth in…

People are putting more and more emphasis on animal welfare and some brands are incorporating that mindset into their product lines and marketing. For example, Pet City, the leading chain of pet shops and superstores in Greece, attaches great…

Dog food in Ireland is expected to continue to face challenges over 2024, marked by slow retail volume growth. This is attributed to dog population constraints in conjunction with inflationary pressures. The Dublin Society for the Prevention of…

Sales of dog food declined in volume terms over 2023. Price increases affected consumer shopping habits with fewer people buying dog food in higher volumes as they looked to manage their budgets. Promotional activities subsided quite substantially…

Dog food in Spain is just about managing to achieve positive volume growth in 2024, with value more strongly supported by still-high prices. Whilst inflationary pressures are lessening, consumers’ spending power has still been negatively affected,…

Dog food in the Netherlands continues to be boosted by the growth in the dog population, albeit rising at a slower rate than that seen in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. This has helped to maintain positive retail volume…

Other pet food is a much smaller area of the market than dog and cat food, but despite various challenges the category sustained relatively stable sales during the course of the review period. Various small mammals are often bought as beginner pets…

Sales of fish food have been in decline in the last few years of the review period in retail volume terms. This decline is linked to the gradual decline being seen in the pet fish population. Fish are no longer seen as a “trendy” pet in the Greek pet…

The overall performance of other pet food in Ireland is supported by growing interest in the keeping of small mammals as pets. The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) has revealed a doubling in the number of small mammals…

Rabbits remain one of the most popular small pets among Norwegians. Often, rabbits are seen as a kid-friendly starter pet for children to learn about taking care of an animal before committing to a cat or a dog. However, as a result, rabbits also…

Other pet food in Spain is being affected by a decline in the population of small pets, albeit still managing to achieve sub-decimal positive volume growth overall, and decent value growth which is supported by still-high unit prices. One of the…

Overall, other pet food in the Netherlands is affected by the slowdown in the other pet population, compared to the increases seen in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 and 2021. There was a particularly notable increase in…

Finland has relatively strict animal welfare regulations compared to many other markets and these have been further enhanced. Starting from 1 January 2024, the rules for keeping an animal at home have become even stricter as authorities seek to…

Pet care continues to grow in both value and volume terms in Greece in 2024, having recorded steady growth over the review period. Pet care witnessed stronger growth in current value terms in 2023 than volume terms with this resulting from the impact…