German market continues to grow

In 2018 the German pet supplies sector achieved product sales totalling 4.223 bn euros through speciality stores and supermarkets. The online market generated an added 625 mio euros, with another 100 mio euros deriving from sales of wild bird food. The total sales volume achieved of 4.948 bn euros means that the sector has maintained the high level of previous years. These figures were released by the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers (Industrieverband Heimtierbedarf - IVH) and the Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe (ZZF).

With growth of 4.5 per cent, the dog food market continued its upward trend of previous years in 2018 and delivered sales worth 1.446 bn euros. The growth drivers were the segments of moist food (473 mio euros; +6.3 per cent) and treats (538 mio euros; +4.9 per cent). The dry food segment saw sales amounting to 435 mio euros (+2.1 per cent). While the cat food market remained the biggest food category in 2018, sales were down slightly by 0.4 per cent to 1.577 bn euros. The treat segment recorded a 3.5 per cent increase to 238 mio euros and dry food sales grew by 0.3 per cent to 299 mio euros, but the moist food segment declined by 1.4 per cent to 1.04 bn euros.
Sales of food for small animals were down by 2.3 per cent (85 mio euros), as were sales of fish food (52 mio euros, -3.7 per cent). However, sales of food for cage birds rose by 1.5 per cent to 66 mio euros.
There was growth of 1 per cent in sales of pet requisites and accessories to 997 mio euros. Dog accessories were the chief beneficiaries here (202 mio euros, +5.2 per cent), along with cat accessories (204 mio euros, +3 per cent). On the other hand, cat litter sales experienced a drop of 1.4 per cent (282 mio euros), and requisites and accessories for small animals fared less well (95 mio euros, -4 per cent), as did those for cage birds (32 mio euros, -5.9 per cent). Sales of such products for ornamental fish increased by 2.2 per cent to 182 mio euros.

Pet stores remained the principal sales channel for pet requisites and accessories in 2018 with sales totalling 795 mio euros and a share of sales of 80 per cent. The supermarket trade (including drugstores and discounters) continued to capture the lion's…