Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Total UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, 2010-20
- Dry segment struggles in both cat and dog food
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- Figure 2: UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, by format, 2012-14
- Scares around commercially produced pet food haven’t gone unnoticed
- Children drive pet ownership
- Companies, brands and innovation
- Pedigree retains top spot in dog food
- Whiskas loses lead in cat food
- Above-the-line advertising spend stalls in 2014
- Gluten-free accounted for 14% of all new pet food launches in 2014
- Low-fat claims rise as pet obesity continues to be a concern
- The consumer
- Just under 60% of the population own a pet
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- Figure 3: Pet ownership, by type of pet, April 2015
- Supermarkets dominate, but pet food buyers shop across channels
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- Figure 4: Channels used to buy pet food, April 2015
- A fifth of pet food buyers have their pets on specific diets
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- Figure 5: Attitudes towards buying pet food and treats, April 2015
- ‘Human grade’ pet food is of interest, while chilled offers a niche opportunity
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- Figure 6: Interest and purchase of pet food products, April 2015
- Eight in 10 treat pets like a member of the family
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards pets and pet food, April 2015
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Pet owners seek guidance on food choices
- The facts
- The implications
- Humanisation remains relevant in pet food
- The facts
- The implications
- Dry pet food is seen by many as boring, wet food retains a treat image
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Volume decline continues
- Dry dog food suffering the most
- Dry cat food fares poorly
- Scares around commercially produced pet food haven’t gone unnoticed
- Pet obesity could hinder long-term growth in snacks and treats
- Children drive pet ownership
- Rise in privately rented dwellings does not bode well for pet food
Market Size and Forecast
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- Sliding dog food sales drag pet food market down
- Measures to economise curb pet food sales
- A shift to smaller formats likely to hamper volumes
- Outlook remains challenging
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- Figure 8: Total UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, 2010-20
- Figure 9: Total UK retail value and volume sales of cat and dog food, 2010-20
Market Segmentation
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- Dry dog food suffering the most
- Snacks and treats buck the trend with impressive growth
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- Figure 10: UK retail value and volume sales of dog food, by format, 2012-14
- Further volume decline expected in dog food
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- Figure 11: Total UK retail value sales of dog food, 2010-20
- Figure 12: Total UK retail value and volume sales of dog food, 2010-20
- Dry cat food fares poorly
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- Figure 13: UK retail value and volume sales of cat food, by format, 2012-14
- Cat food set to struggle to buoy volumes
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- Figure 14: Total UK retail value sales of cat food, 2010-20
- Figure 15: Total UK retail value and volume sales of cat food, 2010-20
Market Drivers
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- Scares around commercially produced pet food haven’t gone unnoticed
- Pet obesity could hinder long-term growth in snacks and treats
- Presence of children drives pet ownership
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- Figure 16: Trends in age structure of the UK population, 2010-20
- Rise in privately rented dwellings does not bode well for pet food
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- Figure 17: UK housing stock, by tenure, 2009-14
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Pedigree retains top spot in dog food
- Whiskas loses lead in cat food
- Above-the-line advertising spend stalls in 2014
- NPD focuses on treats and wet food, while dry food is neglected
- Gluten-free reaches 14% of new pet food launches in 2014
- Seasonal NPD reflects owners’ tendency to treat pets as family
- Low-fat claims rise as concerns around pet obesity persist
Market Share
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- Purina’s Bakers loses ground
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- Figure 18: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
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- Figure 19: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
- Pedigree grows volume share with Tasty Bites and Dentaflex
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- Figure 20: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
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- Figure 21: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
- Mars hopes to halt declining Whiskas sales with brand refresh
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- Figure 22: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
- Gourmet maintains slight lead on luxury rival Sheba
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- Figure 23: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
- Felix sales grow by 40%, helped by introduction of Felix Twists
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- Figure 24: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and drinks market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
- Figure 25: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and drinks market, by value and volume, 2013/14* and 2014/15**
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Overall advertising expenditure remained unchanged in 2014
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- Figure 26: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cat/dog food and snacks and treats, by company, 2012-15
- Mars ups support for Cesar again with emotive TV spots
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- Figure 27: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on dog food and snacks and treats, by leading brands, 2012-15
- Bakers “As Good as it Looks” launch receives significant support throughout 2014
- Mars makes Pedigree Pouches a priority
- Top three cat food advertisers ramped up spend again in 2014
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- Figure 28: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on cat food and snacks and treats, by leading brands, 2012-15
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Operators focus NPD effort on treats and wet food
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- Figure 29: New product launches in the UK dog food market, by type, 2012-14
- Figure 30: New product launches in the UK cat food market, by type, 2012-14
- Gluten-free rises to 14% of all new pet food launches in 2014
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- Figure 31: Share of new pet food launches carrying selected claims, 2012-14
- Seasonal NPD reflects pet owners’ tendency to treat pets as family
- Low-fat claims rise as pet obesity continues to be a concern
- Other recent launches
- Communicating preparation technique can lend products a premium feel
- Lily’s Kitchen and Billy + Margot combat home preparation with human style recipes
- Operators build ‘meatiness’ into branding
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Just under 60% of Brits own a pet
- A fifth of pet food buyers have their pets on specific diets
- Meat content important for pet food buyers
- Supermarkets dominate, but pet food buyers shop across channels
- Online pet food shopping lags behind online grocery shopping
- Discounter and pound store threat persists
- ‘Human grade’ and chilled pet food offer new opportunities
- Four in five cat/dog owners treat pets like family
- Dry pet food suffers from a boring image
- A third of cat/dog owners concerned about healthiness of big brand food
Ownership of Pets
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- Just under 60% of the population own a pet
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- Figure 32: Pet ownership, by type of pet, April 2015
Purchasing of Pet Food
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- A fifth of pet food buyers have their pets on specific diets
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- Figure 33: Attitudes towards buying pet food and treats, April 2015
- Specialist-store buyers less likely to be motivated by price
- Though dry food is seen as boring by many, dog owners rely mainly on it
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- Figure 34: Types of pet food bought, by format, April 2015
- Meat content is an important feature for pet food buyers
Channels Used to Buy Pet Food
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- Supermarkets dominate, but pet food buyers shop across channels
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- Figure 35: Channels used to buy pet food, April 2015
- Online pet food buying is still some way behind online grocery shopping
- Discounter and pound store threat persists
- C-stores are well placed to tap into demand for snacks and treats
Interest in and Purchasing of Pet Food Products
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- ‘Human grade’ and ‘human quality’ pet food is of high interest to buyers
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- Figure 36: Interest in and purchase of pet food products, April 2015
- Traffic light labelling is of interest to a quarter of pet food buyers
- Chilled pet food offers a niche opportunity
Attitudes towards Pets and Pet Food
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- Eight in 10 treat pets like a member of the family
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- Figure 37: Attitudes towards pets and pet food, April 2015
- Dry pet food suffers from a boring image
- Toppings offer an affordable solution to a wet food diet
- A third of cat/dog owners are concerned about how healthy big brand pet food is
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- Fan chart forecast
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Cat and dog food
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- Figure 38: Total UK retail volume sales of cat and dog food, 2010-20
- Figure 39: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat and dog food, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 40: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat and dog food, by volume, 2015-20
- Cat food
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- Figure 41: Total UK retail volume sales of cat food, 2010-20
- Figure 42: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat food, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 43: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat food, by volume, 2015-20
- Dog food
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- Figure 44: Total UK retail volume sales of dog food, 2010-20
- Figure 45: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of dog food, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 46: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of dog food, by volume, 2015-20
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