Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Impact of COVID-19
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- Figure 1: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on cat and dog food, 29 September 2020
- The market
- COVID-19 brings little change to the market in 2020, a rise in ownership will support growth ahead
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- Figure 2: Retail value market size and forecast for the cat and dog food market, 2015-25
- COVID-19 sees snacks and treats prosper
- Little change in pet ownership in early 2020
- Companies and brands
- Pedigree retains top position in dog food, Butchers and Harringtons gain
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- Figure 3: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2018/19 -2019/20
- Whiskas and Purina post strong growth
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- Figure 4: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail cat wet and dry foods market, by value and volume, 2018/19 -2019/20
- Environmentally friendly packaging claims continue to climb
- All-natural claims gain ground dialling up the need for brands to go beyond
- The consumer
- Manufactured cat and dog food is owners’ go-to choice
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- Figure 5: Types of cat and dog food bought, May 2020
- Taste is top priority for dog/cat food buyers
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- Figure 6: Purchase drivers for pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Strong potential for pet food positioned for pets’ needs, widespread interest in sustainability
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Half of dog/cat food buyers think trading down is a good way to save money
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- Figure 8: Behaviours related to pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Heart and digestive health are dog/cat food buyers’ top priorities
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- Figure 9: Ideal functional benefits of pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
Issues and Insights
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- COVID-19 will put brands under pressure as trading down is widely deemed a good way to save money
- Heart, gut and immune health hold potential for brands that can overcome scepticism
- Over half drawn to sustainable ingredients – but few prioritise them
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- COVID-19 brings little change to the market in 2020
- A rise in pet ownership will support volume growth
- Little change in pet ownership in early 2020
Market Size and Forecast
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- COVID-19 fuels uptick in treats and snacks
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- Figure 10: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on cat and dog food, 29 September 2020
- COVID-19 boosts pet snacks and treats in 2020
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- Figure 11: Cat and dog food retail value and volume sales, 2015-2025 (prepared on 29 September 2020)
- A rise in pet ownership ahead?
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- Figure 12: Cat and dog food retail value sales, 2015-2025
- Market drivers and assumptions
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- Figure 13: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast, 2015-2025 (prepared on 29 September 2020)
- Learnings from the last recession
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- Figure 14: Value sales of cat and dog food, 2007-12
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- COVID-19 sees snacks and treats prosper
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- Figure 15: UK retail value and volume sales of dog food, by type, 2018-20
- Figure 16: UK retail value and volume sales of cat food, by type, 2018-20
Market Drivers
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- Little change in pet ownership
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- Figure 17: Pet ownership, by type of pet, April 2015-May 2020
- Ageing population and decline in child population pose a threat to pet ownership
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- Figure 18: Cat and dog ownership, by age and age of children, May 2020
- Pressure on household incomes stands to prompt trading down in pet food
- End of Brexit transition poses potential disruption for pet food market
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Pedigree retains top position in dog food, Butchers and Harringtons gain
- Whiskas and Purina post strong growth
- Environmentally-friendly packaging claims continue to climb
- All-natural claims gain ground, dialling up the need for brands to go beyond
Market Share
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- Pedigree retains top position, Butchers and Harringtons gain
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- Figure 19: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
- Pedigree and Good Boy retain the lead in dog snacks and treats
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- Figure 20: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
- Whiskas and Purina post strong growth
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- Figure 21: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail cat wet and dry foods market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
- Dreamies retains the lead in cat snacks and treats
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- Figure 22: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
- Nestlé Purina PetCare acquires Lily’s Kitchen
- Bella & Duke secures £3.5 million in funding
- Edgard & Cooper wins Sainsbury’s listing, Paul O’Grady’s range moves into B&M stores
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Environmentally friendly packaging claims continue to climb
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- Figure 23: Share of pet food launches with selected ethical claims, 2016-20
- Figure 24: Examples of pet food launches with environmentally-friendly packaging, 2019-20
- Environmentally-friendly product claims rising but still rare
- All-natural claims gain ground
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- Figure 25: Share of pet food launches with no additives/preservatives and all natural product claims, 2016-20
- Chilled and frozen launches remain rare
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- Figure 26: Examples of pet food launches suggesting natural connotations, 2019-20
- Marleybones looks to blockchain for traceability and transparency
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- Figure 27: Marleybones’ personalised dog food uses blockchain technology for traceability, 2020
- Premium launches ebb
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- Figure 28: Share of pet food launches with premium and seasonal claims, 2016-20
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- Figure 29: Examples of pet food launches with premium cues, 2019-20
- Recent launches continue to explore textures to inject newness to the category
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- Figure 30: Share of pet food launches by texture reference, 2016-20
- Figure 31: Examples of pet food launches focused on new textures, 2019-20
- Protein, gluten-free and grain-free claims have posted some years of growth
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- Figure 32: Share of pet food launches with a high/added protein, gluten-free or grain-free claim, 2016-20
- Purina launches allergy-reducing cat food
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Wet cat food leads spend
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- Figure 33: Total and share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top 10 advertiser, 2019-20* (sorted by 2019)
- Barking Heads debuts TV spot on Channel 4
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- Figure 34: Total and share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top 10 brands, 2019-20* (sorted by 2019)
- Tails recruits Lorraine Kelly for TV ad
- Harringtons creates short films for Just 6 range
- Nestlé supports innovation …
- Purina puts spend behind cat food TV ads
- … and announces BetterwithPets Prize
- Pets At Home promotes Puppy & Kitten club
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- COVID-19 will put pressure on brands as half of dog/cat food buyers think trading down is a good way to save money
- COVID-19 sees people limit time in-store and prompts shift to online
- Taste is top priority for dog/cat food buyers
- Strong potential for pet food positioned for pets’ needs, widespread interest in sustainability
- Heart and digestive health are dog/cat food buyers’ top priorities
Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour
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- Focus on immune health and weight management extends to pets
- COVID-19 sees people limit time in-store and prompts shift to online
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- Figure 35: Shopping online more and trying to limit time spent in-store since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, 10-17 September 2020
- Pets At Home and online specialists report growth
- Shoppers limiting time in-store highlights the need for brands to be in the choice set
- Spotlight on the environment
Pet Food Feeding Behaviour
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- Manufactured cat and dog food is owners’ go-to choice
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- Figure 36: Feeding cats and dogs shop-bought and homemade food, May 2020
- Wet food more popular for cats than dogs
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- Figure 37: Types of cat and dog food bought, May 2020
Purchase Drivers for Pet Food
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- Taste is top priority for dog/cat food buyers
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- Figure 38: Purchase drivers for pet food dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Marketing centred on taste remains firmly warranted
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- Figure 39: Blink! Complete Meal Adult Cat Food Pouch Assortment provides instructions on pack for switching to its food, 2020
- Healthiness sways three in five buyers
Attitudes towards Pet Food
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- Strong potential for pet food positioned for pets’ needs
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- Figure 40: Attitudes towards pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Over half drawn to sustainable ingredients – but few prioritise them
- A role for alternative proteins
- Three in 10 claim interest in lab-grown meat
- Just 14% of launches made environmentally-friendly product claims in 2019
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- Figure 41: Examples of pet food launches featuring environmentally-friendly product claims, 2019-20
Behaviours Related to Pet Food
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- Half think trading down is a good way to save money
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- Figure 42: Behaviours related to pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Brands face growing pressure to prove their value
- … while many buy premium pet food as a treat
Ideal Functional Benefits of Pet Food
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- Heart and digestive health are pet food buyers’ top priorities
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- Figure 43: Ideal functional benefits of pet food among dog/cat food buyers, May 2020
- Heart health warrants more visibility
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- Figure 44: Examples of pet food products featuring heart & cardiovascular system claims, 2019-20
- Interest in pet digestive health mirrors that in human digestive health
- 15% of launches made digestion claims in 2019
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- Figure 45: Examples of pet food products featuring digestion claims, April-June 2020
- Over half want pet food to support immune health
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- Figure 46: Examples of pet food products featuring immune system claims, 2017-19
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Share
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- Figure 47: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
- Figure 48: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail dry and wet cat food market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
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- Figure 49: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
- Figure 50: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 -2019/20
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Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 51: Share of new product launches in the UK pet food market, by functional claim, 2016-20
- Figure 52: Share of pet food launches by product sub-category, 2016-20
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Appendix – Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Figure 53: Total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by type, 2019-20
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