Dog Food in Western Europe

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key Findings

Modest growth in the pre-pandemic period

The UK, with its declining dog population and ownership rates, was recording falling dog food sales prior to the pandemic. With the UK being the biggest regional market, this was having a dampening effect on the overall performance. Dog ownership was also falling in France, the third biggest market.

COVID-19 boosts sales of dog food

The arrival of the pandemic in the region, and, more precisely, some of the measures taken to contain the spread of the virus, provided some unexpected impetus for dog food sales. With people in lockdowns and working from home, they were tending to adopt more pets, including dogs, for companionship. This led to a marked improvement year on year in the 2020 performance, with owners also spoiling their dogs as they spent more time than usual with them at home.

E-commerce gains ground in the pandemic

E-commerce recorded strong growth during the pandemic, particularly during lockdown periods, but also with consumers looking for ways to minimise their exposure to the COVID-19 virus. However, internet retailing (2021 share: 14%) remains behind supermarkets (22%), the biggest channel, and store-based retailing still dominates dog food distribution, with pet shops and superstores, hypermarkets, discounters, veterinary clinics and even home and garden specialist retailers all remaining key sales outlets.

Positive growth expected over the forecast period

Dog food will record a 1.8% CAGR in 2021-2026, with premium wet and dry dog food as well as dog treats and mixers driving growth. The pet humanisation trend is expected to continue developing, with ongoing premiumisation in the Western European dog food market helping to ensure that real value growth rates will be markedly higher than the annual volume sales increases.