Lifestyle prompts a boom in the accessories segment

Dowanload: Lifestyle prompts a boom in the accessories segment (PD file) Something that would have been dismissed by many in the pet sector as a quirky fad among the better-off a few years ago has now become a mass trend. An increasing number of dog owners and now also cat owners are turning their noses up at run-of-the-mill accessories and want to treat themselves and their beloved pets to fashionable, superior designer products. Since pets are a form of child substitute in many families, their status has been dramatically enhanced: the proverbial dog's life has now become a life of luxury. The American manufacturers' association APPMA has found that in the USA, 42 per cent of dogs sleep in the same bed as their owner. One in every three American pet owners buys his pet a birthday present. And over $ 2.9 bn per annum is spent on grooming and boarding pets in the USA. Rewarding pets in human terms "People are no longer satisfied to reward their pet in pet terms. They want to reward their pet in human terms," said Bob Vetere, APPMA president, in an interview with "Business Week" magazine recently. There are now actually perfume collections for dogs offering charming fragrances. And the ingredients in many premium foods would do credit to the culinary delicacies served up in top speciality restaurants. Meeting all these needs has now become big business. In metropolises such as New York, Paris, London and Hamburg, the number of speciality boutiques has increased sharply in the last few years. These stores only offer items that look nice: hence no heavy bags of food, no cat litter and no loose bulls pizzle sticks, but rather trendy leads and collars, transport boxes, gift articles, tastefully packaged treats and beds, cushions and sofas. Such stores are located for the most part in well-frequented shopping streets side by side with upmarket boutiques, perfumeries, shops specialising in wellness products and other high-class speciality outlets. Boutiques in the ascendancy Proprietors of dog and cat boutiques don't normally start out in the pet product trade, but in professions closely associated with design, fashion and perhaps even furniture. The German firm Koko von Knebel has acquired a special reputation in the luxury accessory segment, running several boutiques and an online business as well as marketing internationally renowned fashion brands throughout the world. The majority of classic pet shops tend to regard the trend towards luxury accessories with…