The Italian market of pet supplies is not suffering from the economic downturn. Data show that, despite the difficult situation, the Italian owners still buy industrial food for their pets, the only one designed specifically to meet their nutritional demands.

The 2012 Assalco – Zoomark Report shows that the main sector in the pet supplies market – i.e. dog and cat food – grows by 2.1% in Italy.

In 2011 the pet food sector recorded a turnover of 1.604 million euros, 870 of which for cats and 650 for dogs; 80 million euros is the value of snacks and treats sales, a segment that is mainly concentrated on dogs.

These are the figures that the 5th Assalco – Zoomark Report mirrors. The annual research detects the trends within the market of pet food and care products in Italy and is developed by the Italian Association of Pet Food and Pet Care Industries.in collaboration with Zoomark International, the International Exhibition of Products and Accessories for Pets.

What impresses is the Italian growth, which exceeds the European average (considering Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Holland), which is 1.6% (source: SymphonyIRI, year ending in December 2011).

The market of food for other pets (birds, fish, rodents, etc.) - monitored only in the grocery channel - is worth around 20.8 million euros and shows a slight decrease (-0.7%). Positive is the trend in the sector of ‘other products’, which means pet care, beauty, comfort and play, which produces a turnover of 60.1 million euros in the grocery channel and an increase by 1.5%. The segment of cat litter is again the strongest seller in the grocery channel, when considering only non-food products: value sales amount to 61.7 million euros, although they are decreasing by 1.9%.

(extract from "Pet food: +2.1%", Vimax Magazine June 2012)