Other Pet Food in Finland

PROSPECTS

Demographic shifts, such as low birth rate, erode other pet population

Other pets are often owned by children or young adults as first pets. However, the birth rate in Finland has been in decline for a number of years, approaching record low levels as couples postpone the birth of their first child and the number of single-person households remains high.

Poor product selection often seen in mainstream retailers

Mainstream channels such as supermarkets and hypermarkets continued to offer highly limited portfolios of other pet food in 2019, preferring to focus on the much more popular dog and cat food. Pet shops remained by far the most popular channel for other pet food as these outlets can provide education and professional advice to owners, which is often required, given that many of the owners of other pets are children or young adults.

Social media both a resource and a threat to other pets

Owners of other pets are benefiting from specific groups on social media which provide advice and education on the types of other pets and how to take care of them properly. These groups are regarded as a valuable resource, and often have several hundred members in Finland.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Dog and cat food giants absent but leader Versele-Laga benefits from major upgrade

The international giants, Suomen Nestlé are Mars Finland, are absent from other pet food in Finland, preferring to focus on the significantly larger dog and cat food categories. However, an international player with its roots in Belgium retained the lead in other pet food in 2018.

Lack of distribution through Musti ja Mirri impacts Best Friend Group’s share

The domestic company Best Friend Group remained in second place with its Best Friend brand in 2018. The company is exceptional among other pet food players in that it is also a relatively strong player in dog and cat food rather than specialising merely in one or more other pet food categories.

Private label remains underdeveloped as retailers focus on products with better prospects

The limited size of other pet food and its weak prospects has discouraged retailers from introducing private label products to the category. Modern grocery retailers already have only a small share of other pet food due to offering a limited portfolio of branded products, with most reluctant to offer private label as a result.

Files are delivered directly into your account within a few minutes of purchase.