Made in Italy is the key

For foreign manufacturers, Italian pet supplies retailing is any­thing but easy to access. The Zoomark International trade show at the start of November once again featured countless exhibitors from all over Europe wanting to make contact with Italian speciality retailers as well as with their distributors and other business partners. The comments of some manufacturers, however, showed again how difficult it is for them to get their products into the stores of the leading Italian pet product chains.
A visit to a few of the pet stores in Bologna confirms this trend. Monge, Agras Pet Food, Almo Nature, Dorado, Farmina, Ferplast, Camon, Croci and other Italian manufacturers are the preferred suppliers for the major chains, such as market leader Arcaplanet, the country's number 2 L'isola dei tesori or Pet Conad, the pet store chain of food retailer Conad. With regard to pet food in particular, brands produced in Italy itself hold the trump card. Exceptions to the rule, such as the Happy Dog brand of German pet food manufacturer Interquell, and Bunny Tiernahrung in the small animal category, are few. The big international players like Mars, Nestlé Purina and pet food manufacturer Royal Canin, which also belongs to Mars, have a strong showing on the pet food shelves. Then there are private labels, of course, which play a greater or lesser role in all store chains.
The situation in the accessory segment is slightly different. Here it is noticeable that the European market leader Trixie has succeeded in gaining recognition even in the large Italian pet store chains. International brands such as Kong, Zolux and Hunter also feature frequently in stores.
The stores of leading pet product chains in Bologna are located mostly in big shopping malls and retail parks with a high footfall and extensive parking. Pet stores are particularly prevalent in the north of the city. Some of the main shopping malls line the urban motorway, known as the Tangenziale, which brings traffic from the airport into the city centre.

One example of this is the Centro Commerciale Navile, a big retail mall containing an Arcaplanet store as well as a branch of the consumer electronics chain Unieuro, a furniture store belonging to Maison du Monde, a Scarpe & Scarpe shoe shop, a Burger King outlet and a string of other retailers and food outlets. With dark brown laminate floors and brightly coloured walls, the modern Arcaplanet store offers a multifaceted shopping experience. Customers…