Small decline in sales in Germany

The German market for prepared pet food grew by 0.5 per cent over 2010 to € 2.866 bn. The pet accessories segment, on the other hand, saw a drop in sales of 2.2 per cent to € 916 mio. These figures were released by the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers (IVH), which represents the leading companies in the German pet supplies industry. Sales of dog and cat food up The market for cat food in Germany continued to grow in 2011, with an increase in sales of 0.7 per cent to € 1.486 bn. Here the highest gain was achieved by the treats and cat milk segment, increasing by 5.9 per cent over the strong result of the previous year to € 197 mio. Sales of dry food also grew by 0.6 per cent to € 318 mio. Only the wet food segment experienced a slight decline of 0.2 per cent to € 971 mio. Sales of dog food in Germany increased in 2011 by 0.9 per cent over the previous year to € 1.146 bn. The treats segment in particular developed strongly, growing by 5.1 per cent to € 373 mio. Following a decline in 2010, the wet food segment picked up again in 2011, with growth of 0.6 per cent to € 362 mio. By contrast, the downturn in the dry food segment continued, with sales declining by 2.4 per cent to € 411 mio. After suffering a significant downward trend in previous years, the ornamental fish segment showed signs of positive development once again in 2011 with an increase in sales of 4.9 per cent. This welcome improvement was due primarily to changes in the pond food segment. Sales of pet food in the small animal category declined once more in 2011 (€ 121 mio, down 4.7 per cent), as did sales of bird food (€ 49 mio, down 9.3 per cent). Accessory sales down Total sales of pet accessories in 2011 fell by 2.2 per cent to € 916 mio in 2011, although the market for dog accessories grew by 2.6 per cent to € 159 mio. The good growth rates of previous years for cat accessories were not sustained in 2011 and sales of these products declined (down 1.1 per cent to € 182 mio), as did sales of cat litter (€ 238 mio, down 4.0 per cent). No growth was recorded in the markets for accessories for cage birds (€ 42 mio, minus 2.3 per cent), ornamental fish (€ 194 mio, minus 3.5 per cent) or small mammals (€ 101 mio, minus 4.7 per cent) either. No change in distribution channels The speciality trade continues to be the main sales channel for accessories, with sales of € 741 mio and a share of 81 per cent of sales, while the supermarkets, drugstores and discount outlets remain the principal…