Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- More strong growth in value, modest volume growth continues
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- Figure 1: Total UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, 2014-24
- Further lacklustre growth ahead for volume sales
- Snacks and treats lead growth in dog food in 2018
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- Figure 2: UK retail value sales of dog food, by type, 2017-19
- Wet food maintains majority share of cat food sales
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- Figure 3: UK retail value sales of cat food, by type, 2017-19
- Pet ownership remains stable
- Impact of Brexit remains largely unknown
- Industry reacts to the spotlight on plastic packaging
- Companies and brands
- Sales continue to fall for top three dog food brands
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- Figure 4: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry dog food market, by value, 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Felix returns to growth, Whiskas remains in decline
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- Figure 5: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value, 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Ethical positioning gains ground in launches
- 37% of launches call out textures
- ‘Plus’ claims grow in treats launches, functional claims remain rarer
- Advertising sees three years of decline
- The consumer
- Dry food remains favourite for feeding dogs, gap closes for cats
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- Figure 6: Types of pet food bought, by type of pet, May 2019
- Most see digestive health as essential to overall health
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards pet food, May 2019
- All-natural ingredients are cat/dog food buyers’ top consideration
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- Figure 8: Choice factors when purchasing pet food, May 2019
- Transparency fuels trust
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- Figure 9: Behaviours related to pet food, May 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Opportunity for meal kits for making pet food at home
- The facts
- The implications
- The pet food market can do more to tap into the buzz around digestive health
- The facts
- The implications
- Environmentally friendly packaging warrants further attention
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- More strong growth in value, modest volume growth continues
- Further lacklustre growth ahead for volume sales
- Snacks and treats lead growth in dog food in 2018
- Wet food maintains majority share of cat food sales
- Pet ownership remains stable
- Impact of Brexit remains largely unknown
Market Size and Forecast
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- More strong growth in value sales; modest volume performance continues
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- Figure 10: UK retail value and volume sales of cat and dog food, 2014-24
- Further lacklustre growth ahead for volume sales
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- Figure 11: Total UK retail volume sales of cat and dog food, 2014-24
- Strong value sales forecast on the back of rising prices
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- Figure 12: Total UK retail value sales of cat and dog food, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Snacks and treats continue to lead growth in dog food in 2018
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- Figure 13: UK retail value and volume sales of dog food, by type, 2017-19
- Wet food maintains majority share of cat food sales
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- Figure 14: UK retail value and volume sales of cat food, by type, 2017-19
Market Drivers
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- Pet ownership remains stable
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- Figure 15: Pet ownership, by type of pet, April 2015-May 2019
- An ageing population continues to threaten pet ownership
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- Figure 16: Cat and dog ownership, by age, April 2019
- Marked slowing in growth of child population will dampen pet ownership
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- Figure 17: Cat and dog ownership, by presence of children in the household, April 2019
- Impact of Brexit on pet food remains largely unknown
- Industry reacts to the spotlight on plastic packaging
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- Figure 18: Share of new products in the UK pet food market carrying an environmentally friendly package claim, 2015-19
- Raw pet food is further linked to risk to owners
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Sales continue to fall for top three dog food brands
- Felix returns to growth, Whiskas remains in decline
- Ethical positioning gains ground in launches
- 37% of launches call out textures
- ‘Plus’ claims grow in treats launches, functional claims remain rarer
- Advertising sees three years of decline
Market Share
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- Sales keep falling for majority of leading dog food brands
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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 and 2018/19
- Good Boy and Pedigree continue to lead dog snacks & 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 and 2018/19
- Felix returns to growth while Whiskas remains in decline
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- Figure 21: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value and volume, 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Dreamies returns to growth; Webbox closing in on Felix
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- Figure 22: Leading brands’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks and treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 and 2018/19
Start-ups and Disruptors Case Study – Yora
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- Company Overview
- What is it?
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- Figure 23: Sample of Yora product, 2019
- Founded
- Founder’s story
- Financial metrics:
- Sources of funding and support
- Mintel Analyst Verdict
- Mintel Trends
- Why it could succeed
- Why it could fail
- The verdict
- Product details
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- Figure 24: Yora product range, 2019
- Stockists
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Own-label grows share of launches while leading brands’ activity slows
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- Figure 25: Share of new product launches in the UK pet food market, by company, 2015-19
- Ethical positioning gains ground
- Yora launches ‘the world’s most sustainable pet food’
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- Figure 26: Yora pet food, 2019
- Beco Pets launches MSC-certified dog food
- Whiskas undertakes brand overhaul with a spotlight on natural and sustainable credentials
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- Figure 27: Whiskas 11+ range highlighting naturalness and sustainability, March 2019
- Figure 28: Beco MSC-certified cod & haddock natural dog food, Jan 2019
- Environmentally friendly package claims are in the minority
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- Figure 29: Share of new product launches in the UK pet food market, by environmentally friendly packaging and recycling claims, 2015-19
- Some brands explore less common approaches from materials to tie-ups
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- Figure 30: Environmentally friendly packaging examples, 2018-19
- Mars ups the game on naturalness with ‘clean’ and ‘ancestral’ diets
- Mars launches ‘ancestral’ dog food brand Crave…
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- Figure 31: Mars Petcare UK’s new Crave brand, February 2019
- …and brings clean eating trend to pet food with ‘Nutro’
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- Figure 32: Nutro Wild Frontier, Germany, 2018
- Textures take centre stage in selected launches
- Sheba launches ‘Craft’ collection, focusing on textures
- Felix soup targets any time occasions
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- Figure 33: Sheba Craft Collection, Yakers Crunchy Bites and Felix Soups, 2018-19
- New entrants put superfoods and functional benefits at the heart of treats
- Denzel’s launches dog chew range, Miss Purfect puts functionality front and centre in cat treats
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- Figure 34: Denzel’s dog chews and Miss Purfect cat treats, January 2019 and December 2018
- Selected launches find associations to emotional wellbeing
- Wagg overhauls brand identity, highlighting wagging tails
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- Figure 35: Wagg overhauls brand identity, 2017-19
- Naturediet launches ‘Feel Good’ variant to cover all bases
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- Figure 36: Naturediet’s Feel Good range, January 2019
- Felix Play Tubes aim to combine play and snacking
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- Figure 37: Felix Play Tubes, March 2019
- Baking kits appear in dog snacks and treats
- Smoofl launches DIY treats for dogs
- PawBakes releases Bakies Doggy Baking Gift Kit
- Webbox launches ‘Decorate Your Own’ festive Gingerbread Bones
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- Figure 38: Examples of pet baking and meal kits, 2018-19
- Mackle Petfoods adds Chef’s Selection range to Naturo brand
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- Figure 39: Naturo’s chef’s selection range, February 2019
- Paul O’Grady and Burgess Pet Care launch dog food range
- Pooch & Mutt launches sister brand Purr & Miaow
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- Figure 40: Purr & Miaow wet cat food, April 2019
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Advertising sees three years of decline
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- Figure 41: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, 2015-19
- The adspend gap between cat and dog food narrows
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- Figure 42: Total and share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by type, 2015-19
- Whiskas continues to be the most heavily advertised brand
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- Figure 43: Total and share of above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food, by top 10 brands, 2015-19
- Tails.com highlights its personalised service in TV ad
- Harringtons pushes natural positioning
- Dreamies shows its power over cats in playful ad
- Butcher’s campaign aims to improve affordability of natural food
- Sheba continues with ‘Resistance is Futile’ expressions
- Webbox highlights uniqueness of pet ownership
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Dry food remains favourite for feeding dogs, gap closes for cats
- Most see digestive health as essential to overall health
- All-natural ingredients are cat/dog food buyers’ top consideration
- Transparency fuels trust
Pet Food Feeding Behaviours
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- Homemade pet food gathers momentum
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- Figure 44: Feeding cats and dogs shop-bought and homemade food, May 2019
- Dry food maintains its lead for dogs
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- Figure 45: Types of pet food bought, by type of pet, May 2019
Attitudes towards Pet Food
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- Digestive health warrants focus given consumer interest
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- Figure 46: Attitudes towards pet food, May 2019
- Three in 10 pet food launches reference digestive health…
- …with a focus on calling out key ingredients
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- Figure 47: Cat and dog foods calling out digestive functionality, 2018-19
- Need to move the conversation beyond naming ingredients
- More room to call out good bacteria
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- Figure 48: Cat and dog treats and food calling out digestive functionality, 2018-19
- Opportunity to further connect diet to emotional wellbeing
- Plant-based offerings warrant more attention in dog food
Choice Factors in Pet Food Purchasing
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- All-natural ingredients are cat/dog food buyers’ top consideration
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- Figure 49: Choice factors when purchasing pet food, May 2019
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- Figure 50: Pet food products showing images of ingredients on-pack, 2019
- Functional benefits chime with one in three
Behaviours Related to Pet Food
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- Transparency fuels trust
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- Figure 51: Behaviours related to pet food, May 2019
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- Figure 52: Nineteen 87 dog food highlights ingredient origin and production processes on-pack, 2018
- British ingredients garner a positive response
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- Figure 53: Brands featuring references to British provenance on-pack, 2018
- Interest in calming pet food highest among puppy and kitten owners
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- Figure 54: Cat and dog treats which claim calming benefits, 2018-19
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 55: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat and dog food, by value, 2019-24
- Figure 56: Best- and worst-case forecasts for retail sales of cat and dog food, by volume, 2019-24
- Forecast methodology
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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, 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Figure 58: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail wet and dry cat food market, by value and volume, 2017/18 and 2018/19
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- Figure 59: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail dog snacks & treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Figure 60: Leading manufacturers’ sales in the UK retail cat snacks & treats market, by value and volume, 2017/18 and 2018/19
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Appendix – Market Drivers
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- Figure 61: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2014-19 and 2019-24
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