Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Value sales continue to see strong growth
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- Figure 1: Total UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, 2012-22
- Volume sales under pressure from a raft of factors
- Snacks and treats were the strongest performers in dog food
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- Figure 2: UK retail value sales of dog food, by type, 2015-17
- Dry cat food sees value and volume growth
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- Figure 3: UK retail value sales of cat food, by type, 2015-17
- Shrinking household sizes contribute to falling pet ownership
- Inflation brings end to rising real consumer incomes
- Companies and brands
- Top three dog food brands continue to see sales fall
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- Figure 4: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value, 2015/16-2016/17
- Felix remains market leader; Gourmet and Sheba go from strength to strength
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- Figure 5: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value, 2015/16-2016/17
- Dog snacks and wet cat food account for three fifths of 2016 launches
- Slimming claims rise; high-protein claims grow but remain niche
- Humanisation and premiumisation trends continue
- Pet food sees near-static spending on advertising in 2016
- Whiskas is the most heavily advertised brand; Felix is up to mischief
- The consumer
- Pet owners buy a variety of food, but dry remains the most popular
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- Figure 6: Types of pet food bought and/or prepared, by type of pet bought for, April 2017
- Most owners look to vets for information on pet diets
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- Figure 7: Sources used for advice on healthy diets for pets, April 2017
- The vast majority of pet owners say they know how much to feed their pet
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- Figure 8: Owners’ behaviours and attitudes related to healthy eating for pets, April 2017
- Snack allowing easy delivery of medication garner high interest
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- Figure 9: Interest in innovation in pet food, April 2017
- Clarity about the ingredients used in pet food is important
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- Figure 10: Attitudes towards pet food, April 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Low concern around pet obesity despite rising rates
- The facts
- The implications
- Transparency over ingredients used in pet food is important
- The facts
- The implications
- Chilled pet food can tap into demand for naturalness
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Value sales continue to see strong growth
- Volume sales under pressure from a raft of factors
- Snacks and treats were the strongest performers in dog food
- Dry cat food sees value and volume growth
- Shrinking household sizes contribute to falling pet ownership
- Inflation brings end to rising real consumer incomes
Market Size and Forecast
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- Value sales continue to see strong growth
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- Figure 11: Total UK retail value and volume sales of cat and dog food, 2012-22
- Volume sales under pressure from a raft of factors
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- Figure 12: Total UK retail volume sales of cat and dog food, 2012-22
- Continued growth expected for value sales
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- Figure 13: Total UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, 2012-22
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Snacks and treats were the strongest performers in dog food
- Wet dog food maintains share
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- Figure 14: UK retail value and volume sales of dog food, by type, 2015-17
- Dry cat food sees value and volume growth
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- Figure 15: UK retail value and volume sales of cat food, by type, 2015-17
Market Drivers
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- Pet ownership is falling
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- Figure 16: Pet ownership, by type of pet, December 2012-April 2017
- Shrinking household sizes present another threat to pet ownership
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- Figure 17: Pet ownership by household size, April 2017
- Households with children are more likely to own pets
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- Figure 18: Cat and dog ownership, by presence of children under the age of 18 in the household, April 2017
- The ageing population poses a challenge
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- Figure 19: Pet ownership by age, April 2017
- Inflation brings end to rising real consumer incomes
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- Figure 20: Pet ownership by household income, April 2017
- Consumer trust may have been shaken
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Top three dog food brands continue to see sales fall
- Felix remains market leader; Gourmet and Sheba go from strength to strength
- Dog snacks and wet cat food account for three fifths of 2016 launches
- Slimming claims rise; high-protein claims grow but remain niche
- Humanisation and premiumisation trends continue
- Pet food sees near-static spending on advertising in 2016
- Whiskas is the most heavily advertised brand; Felix is up to mischief
Market Share
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- Top three dog food brands continue to see sales fall
- Harringtons shows substantial growth
- Own-label gains share
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- Figure 21: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
- Good Boy sees second year of stellar performance
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- Figure 22: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
- Felix maintains position as market leader, but sales fall
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- Figure 23: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
- Gourmet and Sheba go from strength to strength
- Dreamies rebrand drives growth; Whiskas struggles continue
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- Figure 24: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Dog snacks and wet cat food account for three fifths of 2016 launches
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- Figure 25: New product launches in the UK pet food market, by segment, 2013-17
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- Figure 26: Share of new product launches in the UK pet food market, by company, 2013-17
- Mars Petcare extends range of cat snacks and treats
- Felix FunSauces blur the line between snacks and mealtimes
- Nestlé adds two more variants to its Purina-Beyond range
- Slimming claims rise in pet food in 2017
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- Figure 27: New product launches in the UK pet food market carrying a ‘slimming’ or a ‘low/no/reduced fat’ claim, 2013-17
- Iams taps into demand for naturalness with new ‘Naturally’ range
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- Figure 28: New product launches in the UK pet food market carrying a no additives/preservatives or an all-natural claim, 2013-17
- Harrington’s re-packages to emphasise natural claims
- High-protein claims growing but niche
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- Figure 29: New product launches in the UK pet food market that carry a high-protein claim, 2013-17
- Humanisation and premiumisation trends continue
- Tesco offers complete range of chilled pet food
- Lily’s Kitchen adds a weekend breakfast to its meal time portfolio…
- …and a birthday surprise for dogs
- Forthglage’s seasonal launch focuses on seasonal ingredients
- Forthglade unveils its first dry dog food range
- Skinner’s Petfoods moves into pet market with new ‘Life’ range
- British-grown vegetable dog snacks enter the market
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Pet food sees static spending on advertising in 2016
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- Figure 30: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, 2013-17
- Cat food maintains majority share of adspend
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- Figure 31: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by type, 2013-17
- Whiskas is the most heavily advertised brand
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- Figure 32: Share of recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top ten brands, 2013-17
- Dreamies introduces impenetrable bag of treats in colourful ad
- Sheba’s campaign explores who’s really the boss – Cats or their owners?
- Felix causes mischief at Waterloo station
- Bakers makes it possible for dogs to go shopping
- James Wellbeloved runs first ever TV campaign
- Dog food brands look to sponsorship for visibility
- Forthglade encourages dog owners to #DumpTheJunk
- Royal Canin makes pets stars of their own show
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Pet owners buy a variety of food, but dry remains the most popular
- More dog owners purchase snacks/treats than wet food
- Most owners look to vets for information on pet diets
- The vast majority of pet owners say they know how much to feed their pet
- Satiety offered by diet pet food important for owners
- Snack allowing easy delivery of medication garners high interest
- Complete meal kits interest a third of pet owners
- Clarity about the ingredients used in pet food is important
- Low trust in the benefits of gluten-free diets
Types of Pet Food Bought/Prepared
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- Pet owners buy a variety of food, but dry remains the most popular
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- Figure 33: Types of pet food bought and/or prepared, by type of pet bought for, April 2017
- More dog owners purchase snacks/treats than wet food
- Feeding dogs homemade food is more common amongst the affluent
Sources Used for Advice on Healthy Diets
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- Most owners look to vets for information on pet diets
- Few owners have frequent contact with vets
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- Figure 34: Sources used for advice on healthy diets for pets, April 2017
- Three in ten pet owners use healthy diet information on food packaging
- Pet charities are rarely used by pet owners for diet information
- Under-35s use a variety of sources for information on healthy diets
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- Figure 35: Sources used for advice on healthy diets for pets, April 2017
Owners’ Behaviours and Attitudes Related to Healthy Eating for Pets
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- The vast majority of pet owners say they know how much to feed their pet
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- Figure 36: Pet food behaviours – CHAID – Tree output, May 2017
- Methodology
- Tailored advice and measuring scoops can help build confidence
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- Figure 37: Owners’ behaviours and attitudes related to healthy eating for pets, April 2017
- A quarter of pet owners would not know how to help their pet lose weight
- Activity levels play a key role in weight management
- Satiety offered by diet pet food important for owners
- Artificial additives are as much a concern in pet food as in human food
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- Figure 38: New product launches in the UK pet food market carrying a ‘no additives/preservatives’ claim, 2013-17
Interest in Innovation in Pet Food
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- Snack allowing easy delivery of medication garners high interest
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- Figure 39: Interest in innovation in pet food, April 2017
- Calming food appeals to one in five pet owners
- Complete meal kits interest a third of pet owners
- A third would like a proportion of the price of pet food to go to charity
- Londoners show above average interest in recycling schemes
- Interest in game meat and offal in pet food
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- Figure 40: Share of new launches in the pet food market with game meat listed as an ingredient, 2013-17
Attitudes towards Pet Food
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- Clarity about the ingredients used in pet food is important
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- Figure 41: Attitudes towards pet food, April 2017
- Healthy eating trends for pets divide owners
- Low trust in the benefits of gluten-free diets
- Interest in gluten-free peaks among food avoiders
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 42: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat and dog food, by value, 2017-22
- Figure 43: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat and dog food, by volume, 2017-22
- Forecast methodology
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Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 44: New product launches in the UK pet food market, by own-label and brands, 2013-17
- Figure 45: New product launches in the UK pet food market, carrying a functional claim, 2013-17
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- Figure 46: New product launches in the UK pet food market carrying diet-friendly or slimming claims, 2013-17
- Figure 47: New product launches in the UK pet snacks and treats market that are part of a complementary diet, 2013-17
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- Figure 48: Share of new product launches in the UK pet food market containing offal, by top 10 types of offal, 2013-17
- Figure 49: New product launches in the UK pet food market that are complete pet foods, 2013-17
- FEDIAF permitted claims related to the use of the term ‘natural’
- Natural
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Appendix – Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Figure 50: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top 10 brands, 2013-17
- Figure 51: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top 10 advertisers, 2013-17
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- Figure 52: Share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top 10 advertisers, 2013-17
- Figure 53: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cat food, by top 10 brands, 2013-17
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- Figure 54: Share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cat food, by top 10 brands, 2013-17
- Figure 55: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on dog food, by top 10 brands, 2013-17
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- Figure 56: Share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on dog food, by top 10 brands, 2013-17
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Appendix – Market Share
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- Figure 57: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
- Figure 58: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
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- Figure 59: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
- Figure 60: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2015/16-2016/17
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Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 61: Pet food behaviours – CHAID – Table output, May 2017
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