Dog food drives sales

According to a survey by Euromonitor, dog food sales worldwide amounted to the value of approximately US $ 38.5 bn in 2011, compared with nearly US $ 36.9 bn the previous year. Growth rates in the individual regions range from 0.88 to 10.59 per cent, with no decline recorded in any region.The current size and development of markets, especially with regard to dog food, are linked closely to regional living standards and the lifestyles of the population. In such prosperous regions as western Europe and North America, dogs are viewed first and foremost as members of the family, and are fed accordingly on food manufactured especially for them. The result of this has been large increases in sales in the last 15 to 20 years.Every industry expert knew that growth on this scale could not last. The latest increase in sales of 0.88 per cent from around US $ 9.4 bn to just under US $ 9.5 bn in western Europe is thus the lowest in Euromonitor's latest survey. With growth of four per cent and US $ 507.6 mio (2010: 12 690.30; 2011: 13 197.90), North America comes very close to the global average of 4.48 per cent. The development of the market in the various regions shows surprising similarities, even if these are substantially deferred in time.Growth in the eastEastern Europe and Latin America are the regions with the strongest growth in sales of dog food. There are several reasons for this. One is naturally the slow but steady rise in the standard of living, which goes hand-in-hand with an increase in the numbers of modern retail outlets and ­shopping malls. Acceptance of the dog as a member of the family is also growing steadily, combined with the growing awareness of dog owners regarding species-­specific, healthy nutrition for dogs, which may then sometimes turn out to be rather more lavish.It isn't so very long ago that dogs in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Turkey, for example, were fed mainly on scraps from the table. Latin America was no different. The potential for introducing industrially manufactured convenience food into these regions and countries was assessed at the time as huge, but suitable sales outlets were lacking. Rapid development has taken place in the last few years, and so the growth figures for dog food in the regions and countries are understandable.The next development regions in this area are the Middle East and the African states. Development figures here are still at a very low level, and the markets offer the manufacturers of convenience…