Nutro: “We are very optimistic”

PET in Europe: Competition in Europe is becoming increasingly fierce, even in the markets for premium pet food. What strategy is Nutro adopting to consolidate its market position?
Matt de Freitas: For more than 75 years Nutro has consistently adhered to one primary company philosophy, ”to formulate products that provide measurable levels of superior feeding performance for specific target indications”. Through this strategy, Nutro has grown into the world’s largest independent manufacturer focused exclusively on the production of super-premium pet foods. Our corporate mission, now and in the past, has been to produce the best dog and cat foods in the world. And so Nutro continues to develop products with unique features and meaningful benefits that provide improved feeding performance, nutrition and value. Nutro strategy is to provide professional specialty pet retailers with top quality products that draw consumers out of supermarkets and into their stores. Thus loyal pet owners will return time and time again to purchase Nutro products at specialty pet retailers. At the same time, Nutro remains committed to selling its products exclusively through specialty pet retailers, such as pet and garden stores and veterinarians. Our commitment to the professional specialty trade is the foundation of our company strategy. Nutro plans to maintain its key strategies as we expand our market share.
PET in Europe: How do you view the general growth prospects for super-premium pet food in Europe, both for dogs and cats?
Matt de Freitas: We are very optimistic. The market for super-premium pet food has grown substantially in Europe over the last decade. A key factor driving this growth, in my opinion, is the improved quality and number of specialty pet stores operating throughout Europe. A wide variety of highly professional independent and chain pet and garden stores has opened. These professionals, for the most part, understand what it means to operate a “specialty” business. They provide quality service and nutritional information, conduct seminars and offer premium products. They recommend and sell products that solve problems, satisfy their consumers and meet their financial expectations. Pet stores that remain focused on providing these specialty services and products will continue to expand and thrive for years to come, even in economically challenging times.
We are especially optimistic when it comes to the premium cat food category. Cat products are one of the…