A market with good prospects for growth

The origin of the pet food market as well as the whole free trade system dates back to the year 1989, when poli-tical transformation and economic reforms took place.
As a result, setting up a private company and running a business were possible not only in the country but also abroad. The first companies to raise public awareness on a large scale regarding the issue of contemporary animal nutrition and to make investments in Poland were Masterfoods and Nestlé.
Ben is one of Poland's most well-known producers of pet-food.
The sales outlets in Poland are pet shops, chain stores, companies handling direct sales to customers involved in breeding, animal clinics and pet exchange markets.
Dog and cat food constitutes the largest group of pet food products in Poland, with a volume of approximately $ 170 mio, followed by fish food and food for birds, rodents and reptiles. Accessories for pets including aquariums also form an important part of the rapidly developing market. This sector is occupied chiefly by domestic manufacturers.
The Polish pet product market is made up of global leaders, domestic manufacturers, large pet food wholesalers and exclusive representatives of particular firms. There are a few global leaders in Poland: Masterfoods, Nestlé, Provimi and Cargill. The undisputed number one in the Polish market is Masterfoods, but its share has declined steadily from an estimated 76 per cent in 2001 to 65 per cent in 2002. Nestlé is in second place with a market share of 11 per cent.  Provimi, which heads the sector of food for farm animals, is strenuously trying to regain a foothold in the previously neglected pet food market, and is investing large sums of money. As for Cargill, it has become an important partner of private label in Poland as the result of introducing premium technology.
For many years, the Polish pet product market consisted mainly of importers and foreign product distri-butors who were provided with the necessary know-how, product information and marketing support by their companies. Virtually no Polish pet products existed (with the exception of Tropical, which has enjoyed a stable position for some years all over the world). This resulted mainly from the lack of information on nutrition, production, technology and marketing.
Zoo Natura is one of the pricipal speciality retailers in Poland.
Fortunately, Polish producers such as Ben (wet food for dogs and cats), Hobby (rodents), Tropical (fish food), Pupil (dog food), Magnum (products for…