Hypermarkets losing market share

According to data from Euromonitor International, the Belgian market for pet products had a volume of € 482 mio in 2004. This figure breaks down into € 390.2 mio for pet food and € 92 mio for accessories and care products. Dog and cat food account for the lion's share, with sales amounting to € 357.6 mio in the period surveyed. Although the dog population has declined slightly in recent years, sales of dog food actually increased by approx. 1 per cent compared with the previous year to € 173 mio. Of this, € 76.3 mio (2003: € 77.8 mio) was spent on wet food, € 63.7 mio (2003: € 60.7 mio) on dry food and € 33.1 mio (2003: € 32.4 mio) went on treats and mixer products. Despite the slight fall in the number of dogs over the last few years, this pet enjoys continued popularity in the Benelux state, with an estimated 10 dogs per 100 inhabitants - a ratio that is higher than in the Netherlands or Germany. The dog population in Belgium is estimated at around 1.1 mio.The number of cats exceeds this figure. Euromonitor International reports that 23 per cent of all Belgian households owned a cat in 2004. The cat population thus rose compared with the previous year by as much as 5 per cent to 1 722 mio. Cat food sales in 2004 were worth € 184.5 mio (2003: € 180.8 mio), with wet food accounting for € 138.7 mio (2003: € 138 mio), dry food for € 36.8 mio (2003: € 34.4 mio) and treats for € 9 mio (2003: € 8.4 mio).There has been a considerable upturn in the number of small animals kept as pets in the last few years. The number of hamsters etc. in Belgium is estimated at 1.1 mio. Sales of rodent food yielded € 20 mio in 2004, equivalent to an increase of 4 per cent compared with 2003. The aquarium segment also grew slightly in 2004, with sales of fish food increasing from € 5.7 mio in 2003 to € 5.8 mio. Although the number of birds showed a slight fall in the period surveyed to 2 932 mio (2003: 2 942 mio), sales of bird food rose slightly to € 6.4 mio (2003: € 6.3 mio).The market for pet care products exhibited a healthy trend, with sales increasing in 2004 from € 88.8 mio to € 92.1 mio. The cat litter segment plays a particularly important role in this product group and in 2004 sales rose to € 24.5 mio from € 23.5 mio the previous year. Classic accessory products such as toys, scratching trees and aquariums accounted for € 55.2 mio in sales in 2004.Speciality trade catching upA large proportion of pet products are still distributed through hypermarkets, although the…