Landmark fair

The US pet supplies market is by far the biggest such market in the world. Americans spend more on their pets than the pet owners of Japan, Brazil and Great Britain put together. No other country on the planet has as many pets as the USA – and it is also the world champion when it comes to the level of services offered for pets. In the last few years, the US market has grown consistently by an average of 2.5 per cent per year. It no longer features in the ten fastest-growing markets in the world – these are now in Asia, eastern Europe and South America; but compared with other countries in which the pet supplies market is already pretty saturated on account of its high volume, the USA continues to fare extraordinarily well. Japan, France and Italy, for example, have all grown far less rapidly in the last five years. It cannot be denied, however, that the financial crisis over the last two years has left its mark to some extent on the American pet supplies sector too. Although the USA may be over the worst of the recession, the sector should beware of too much optimism. The passion for consumerism of earlier times will not come round again so quickly; consumer reticence is the order of the day at present. In the pet business too? Certainly, but experts also point out that in the pet supplies sector, the premium segment has felt the effects of the recession far less than other price categories. Pet owners won’t neglect their dogs and cats because they are having a rather tougher time of it financially. On the contrary, many pet owners would rather skimp on themselves than on their four-legged companions, believe industry experts. This is a good omen for the Global Pet Expo in Orlando. As a mirror image of the US pet supplies market, the fair will carry particular significance this year: for if American companies manage to rekindle the desire to buy with the products they present in Orlando, this will surely be good for the entire pet supplies sector in the coming months. Yours Ralf Majer-Abele Download: Landmark fair (PDF file)