Economy

Economic conditions have a direct impact on consumer spending, supply chain costs, and trading performance across the UK pet industry. Pet Gazette tracks how inflation, interest rates, labour shortages, and broader macroeconomic pressures affect pet retailers, wholesalers, and brand distributors. Coverage includes commentary on pet sector resilience during downturns, price sensitivity among shoppers, and shifts in demand for premium vs value ranges. We also report on government economic policy, retail footfall data, and financial forecasts relevant to pet businesses navigating changing market conditions.

Jun- 2018 -

14 June

Events

Cotswold Raw to go on tour to promote healthy eating for pets

Cotswold Raw is to take its display team on tour to shows around the UK in order to promote healthy eating in pets. The company’s team will visit Dog Fest, The Game Fair and Countryfile Live to showcase its product that aims to take pet food back to its roots…
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7 June

Business

New micro-algae pet food startup receives £500k investment

A ‘micro-algae’ pet food startup has a received £500,000 investment from the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) to enable the company to expand its team and build a pilot plant for its technology at a whiskey distillery. MiAlgae, founded by Douglas Martin, grows algae rich in omega-3 and other nutrients using…
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May- 2018 -

16 May

Government & Legislation

Scotland ‘leading the pack’ on animal welfare, says BVA

British Veterinary Association (BVA) president John Fishwick praised Scotland for implementing policies that prioritise keeping animals happy, healthy and safe during his speech at BVA’s annual Scottish Dinner on Tuesday 15 May. Addressing almost 100 guests at the Scottish Parliament, including the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land…
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14 May

Retailers

Retail consumer spending sees sharpest drop since 2012

Consumer spending has suffered its sharpest drop in six years, according to Visa’s latest consumer spending index. Spending in-store fell by 5.4 percent in April when compared to the same period last year, while overall consumer spending fell by two percent, matching March’s year-on-year figures. Online spending was also down…
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4 May

Retailers

43,000 retailers in ‘financial distress’

Nearly 43,000 retailers ended the first quarter of the year in a state of ‘significant’ financial distress, according to research from insolvency firm Begbies Traynor. Its ‘Red Flag Alert’ research for Q1 2018, which monitors the financial health of UK companies, found the number of firms in the category was…
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1 May

Retailers

Solid first-quarter growth for online retail orders

Online retail delivery order volumes were up 9.6 percent year-on-year in March, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index. This completes what has been a solid first-quarter for online retail order volumes, with total growth for the quarter increasing by 12.5 percent, just short of…
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Apr- 2018 -

27 April

Retailers

Retail sales expected to be ‘a little healthier’ next month

Retail sales are expected to pick up in May, according to the Distributive Trades Survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The survey of 100 firms showed that, in the year to April, retail sales volumes were broadly unchanged. Sales were below average for the time of year for…
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4 April

Industry News

‘Trust your vet’ campaign launched to tackle AMR

A campaign urging pet owners to trust their vets on the use of antibiotics has today been launched by the government. It follows a new survey by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) that found almost 90 percent of vets said clients came to appointments with an expectation they will provide…
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Mar- 2018 -

6 March

Business

Consumer spending grows 3.8 percent, outstripping inflation

Consumer spending growth held steady in February – up 3.8 percent year-on-year and in line with the three-month rolling average (3.9 percent) – as consumers made small adjustments to their budgets to make room for the ‘nice-to-haves’. Data from Barclaycard shows that supermarket spending (3.2 percent) returned to levels seen…
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2 March

Manufacturers

Dog food brand Soopa leads increase in Irish consumer exports to UK

Irish consumer exports to the UK are worth nearly €500m, according to recent figures gathered by government agency Enterprise Ireland. Increasing value by 12 percent in 12 months, Irish consumer products have proved to be increasingly popular with UK buyers. One such Irish company which has led the way is…
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