A segment where growth is guaranteed

"Many pet owners only visit the pet store when their pet is already sick or displaying conspicuous symptoms," reports one pet supplies retailer from Russia, "and they expect us to offer advice and products such as they would get at a vet's." Pet product retailers from a host of other countries said the same when asked by PET worldwide. A retailer from Sweden sums up the reasons for the behaviour of pet owners succinctly: "A visit to the pet store is naturally much cheaper in the first instance than going to the vet."People in the business speak of a rapidly growing trend towards self-medication, which has been common for many years in the human sphere and is now being transferred increasingly to the pet. In Germany, for example, the volume of the market for non-prescription pharmaceuticals for people and animals amounted to around €5.9 bn two years ago. For pet supplies retailers, this trend presents an opportunity to establish themselves with the customer as a competent partner. In the aquatics sector above all, so-called wide range treatments that are put directly into the aquarium water are a long-established product segment. In the Ukrainian pet product chain Master-Zoo, over-the-counter medicines account for as much as eight per cent of sales, above all for dogs and cats. And in the USA, an online shop was set up recently specialising in the sale of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for pets: 1-800-PetMeds (www.1800petmeds.com) describes itself as "America's Largest Pet Pharmacy".Prevention is better than cureExperts agree that one important job of the pet product retailer is to make it clear to pet owners from the outset that it is better to start sooner rather than later when it comes to health care for their pets. "If your pet is sick, going to the pet shop is no substitute for a visit to the veterinary surgery," stresses Wolfgang Fuchs, veterinary consultant at Mars Pet Care. In this case, too, it is the responsibility of the specialist retailer not to even try to help the customer with over-the-counter products but to send him straight to a vet. In southern and eastern European countries in particular, it has been normal for a long time for larger pet stores to employ their own vet, sometimes with a dedicated veterinary practice, under the same roof. In other countries, including Germany, the number of such businesses is increasing noticeably. The potential for synergy effects between practice and speciality retailer is huge, but is often only…