“The pet industry is healthy”

An 8 per cent increase in the exhibition area compared with 2012, a record number of 964 exhibitors, a significant rise in the number of stands reserved, more new products than ever and visitor figures up by around 5 per cent: the Global Pet Expo on 20-22 February in Orlando was on top form once again this year. Growing numbers from abroad This makes the fair increasingly attractive to even wholesalers and leading store chains from all over the world. Buyers travelled to Orlando from 65 countries this year to talk to their suppliers, seek out new products and form an impression of the latest trends. The growing interest of non-American companies in the Global Pet Expo shows how much the fair is benefiting from increasing globalisation, which is drawing individual markets with all their regional differences closer together. Added to this is the reputation that the USA rightly enjoys for being the forerunner and pioneer of global trends in many areas of the pet product industry. The respect in which the Global Pet Expo is held as one of the leading international pet product shows is doubtless also due in large measure, however, to the excellent service provision at the exhibition venue and the steady stream of new activities introduced by the organisers. Word of these quickly gets around in the business! The establishment of an International Pavilion is an attempt by the organisers to attract exhibitors from outside North America to the Global Pet Expo. This year companies from China and the UK in particular took advantage of the pavilion. Other companies from outside the USA were scattered across the exhibition area. Growth will continue in 2013 A major reason for the positive development of the show, which is organised jointly by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), is undoubtedly the healthy state of the American pet supplies industry. Last year, American pet owners spent more than $ 53.33 bn on their pets. “The US pet industry is healthy,” announced Bob Vetere, president and CEO of APPA, in relation to the Global Pet Expo. APPA is forecasting that the pet supplies market will grow this year by 4.1 per cent to over $55 bn. Growth varies across the different segments. In 2012, according to Bob Vetere, pet services experienced the largest percentage growth, increasing by 9.7 per cent over the previous year. This was the case in 2011 also. As pet owners continue to pamper pets, their spending on…