Record sales in coronavirus year

It's been a turbulent few months for the German pet trade. The year started well. Then came the pre-lockdown period in March, during which pet owners stocked up on essential pet food and accessories. Record sales of litter and hay products in particular, but also of dry dog food and cat food were seen.
In lockdown many people worked from home or had their working hours reduced. They had more time to fill, and many decided to get a pet, or more than one in some cases. The pet supplies sector reaped the benefits. In May, sales experienced a mild downturn in a number of retail operations, but by June they were rising again sharply. Industry experts point to the diminishing holiday prospects due to the pandemic as the reason for this trend, with large numbers of people opting to spend their vacation at home. The decision to invest instead in making the home nicer also meant an increase in spending on pet care products, treats and other rewards for their pets, along with toys and accessories so pet and owner could engage in indoor and outdoor activities.

Online sales in particular boomed. Europe's leading online retailer of pet products, Zooplus AG, increased its sales in the first six months of the year by 19 per cent compared with last year to 862 mio euros. The company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were 29.4 mio euros, as compared with an EBITDA of 4.5 mio euros in the previous year. Zooplus highlighted the sharp rise in the second quarter in particular, with a quarterly EBITDA of 21.3 mio euros. Dr Cornelius Patt, board chairman of the online retailer, expects that the target for the fiscal year - an increase in sales of around 240 mio euros compared with the previous year - that was updated on 14 July will be achieved.

Bricks-and-mortar pet retailers can also look back with satisfaction on how coronavirus year 2020 has gone so far. Information provided by market leader Fressnapf indicates that its growth has significantly exceeded forecasts and that of the previous year, with double-digit sales at present. The company did not release specific figures, however. Although the retail group got off to a slower start this year due to the pandemic, it had opened seven new stores in Germany by the end of September. In Europe, Fressnapf has opened as many as 28 new stores. So as not to increase the workload and footfall in the stores further and thereby pose a risk to customers…