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Private pet food labels now have a market share of 34% in the six biggest markets in Europe, according to data from Circana.
Data collected from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, UK, and Netherlands showed value sales of pet food have grown across Europe by 5.4% over the last four years to reach €10.8bn (£9.4bn).
During 2022 that growth rate almost doubled to 12% compared to 5.9% annual growth in 2021 driven by inflation and an explosion of pet ownership.
The UK and Germany led value sales growth with the value sales of pet food grew by 12.7% in the UK and 11.3% in Germany.
Price inflation was highest in the UK and Spain with an average price inflation of 12% across the EU6, the highest in the UK and Spain.
Pet treats and toys grew by 13.1% in 2022, compared to the previous year, adding €50m (£43.4m) to the total €0.4bn (£0.35bn) value sales.
Ananda Roy, global SVP, Strategic Growth Insights, Circana said: “Led by manufacturers and retailers in the UK and Italy, there has been a lot of innovation around breed and age-based nutrition. This health and wellness focus taps into the boom in new pet ownership that started during the pandemic and allows manufacturers to follow the life of these pets as they grow.
“Other innovations include the use of human food ingredients such as vegetables and pulses as a source of high protein, low fat and balanced nutrients especially where traditional ingredients may cause allergies or sensitivities.”
He added: “As a result of the innovation boost, new product launches in pet food accounted for 9% of total pet food sales (for private labels and national brands). New product launches contributed a substantially higher percentage of sales in Germany (28%) and the Netherlands (11%) than the other European countries.”
