Market place for the pet supplies business

The most important manufacturers, wholesalers and service providers in the global pet supplies business will be exhibiting their wares at Interzoo in Nuremberg from 11 to 14 May. The fair organiser, the Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe GmbH (WZF), is expecting around 1 250 exhibitors from over 50 countries to unveil their product trends and innovations to a selected trade audience of roughly 31 000 visitors. The lion's share of the exhibition floor space will be taken up by companies from Germany, Italy, China, the USA, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. Foreign firms are chiefly responsible for the growth in Interzoo, with 16 per cent more international exhibitors registering. Companies from Belgium, China, India, Japan, Canada, Poland, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic have significantly increased their exhibition areas. Due to the increase in the number of registrations, the organisers of Interzoo have included an additional exhibition hall. Adding Hall 9 to the layout allows visitors to take a circular route through all eight exhibition halls of the show in future, and places a hall area of 78 910 m² in all at the disposal of Interzoo 2006. One of the characteristic features of Interzoo is its concentration on pet requisites. The range is staggering, reflecting the diversity of the global pet market. Half of the exhibitors are showing products for dogs and cats. The next biggest segment is aquatics, with 26 per cent. 22 per cent of suppliers are presenting products for small animals and rodents, 18 per cent exhibiting products for ornamental birds, 15 per cent products for pets in the garden and 13 per cent articles for reptiles and amphibians. Other product groups include complementary products for the speciality retail trade such as equestrian or boutique items, living with animals and plants, specialist literature and multimedia, shopfitting and packaging, pet food technology and various services. Pet welfare also takes priority at Interzoo 2006. According to information from WZF, the standards of the German Animal Welfare Act apply to foreign exhibitors as well as those from Germany. All exhibitors must register the presentation of live pets, and the conditions in which these are kept must comply with the guidelines and provisions applicable in Germany. For example, tethered parrots, fish in column and wall aquariums and reptiles in very small vivariums are not permitted. Exhibiting ornamental birds will also…