Country report France: Local sourcing and personalization are the top trends

From a growing demand for healthier and locally made food to booming business at pet shops and online retailers focused on customer experience, a lot has changed in the past few years.

And despite financial concerns, French owners still want to pamper their pets.

Made in France

Sales revenue in the French pet food market reached €4.7 billion ($5.1B) in 2023, according to FACCO, the federation of pet food manufacturers in France.

Food is the biggest item of expenditure for pet owners with a yearly spend of €490 ($532) for dogs and €316 ($343) for cats.

A few multinational brands account for a large part of the pet food market, but there are also many small and mid-sized French companies that meet the needs of a growing demand for non-processed, healthy and high-quality food made in France.

Morgan Pigné, founder of pet food brand L’assiette de Max, says that more and more pet owners are asking for “a better product composition”. He adds: “They check the product labels better.”

Marie Bonhomme, co-founder of Ziggy, a Bordeaux- based pet food company that sells natural products, confirms that customers ask for “fewer ingredients in products, no flavor enhancers, no food coloring and no wheat”.

“One of the main trends that we see is the thriving demand for treats. It is a dynamic market. We have launched dog and cat treat ranges which we will develop in 2025,” says Paul Bro de Comères, Chief Revenue Officer at Ultra Premium Direct, a DTC company.

Inflation hitting hard

According to a 2024 survey commissioned by the Adocom-RP agency, price inflation has hit French consumers, with 43% of them postponing getting a dog because of high pet food prices.

7 out of 10 dog owners have experienced an increase in their pet food budget and have cut their spending – primarily on accessories, followed by food and vet services.

“Due to inflation, we have a higher demand for our own distributor brand products, which are less expensive, good quality and set at a mid-high range,” says Stephane Lagneau, Manager of the franchise network for Terranimo, a French pet shop chain.

However, Ziggy’s Bonhomme explains that its customers, who are mostly middle class, “are ready to tighten their belt to spend more for their pet”.

Competition between channels

Hypermarkets are still the preferred place to buy pet food, but purchases in pet stores and online have tripled in less than 10 years, according to FACCO.

To adapt to the shift, French hypermarket leader E.Leclerc launched its pet shop division Nos Animaux E.Leclerc and now has more than 40 stores throughout the country.

A 2024 survey, conducted by the French market research firm Ipsos for the brand Bonial, ranked the E.Leclerc as France’s most attractive pet store brand.

This is thanks to a good in-store shopping experience and its wide range of products offering good value for money.

To compete with hypermarkets, Terranimo’s strategy is to give greater customer care: “We can’t offer prices as low as them, but we can offer a better product selection for the pet’s wellbeing,” Lagneau explains.

The brand has grown from 60 shops in 2022 to 85 today, and it aims to reach 100 locations by the end of the year.

“We locate our stores next to hard discounters as we have the same clientele: mindful of their budget but with defined needs and a good purchasing power,” is the company’s explanation of its strategy.

Ultra Premium Direct – with 19 shops and plans to open 9 more by the end of 2025 – has its stores in shopping centers to reach people going shopping.

Online revenue rises

Online pet purchases, including subscriptions, are definitely on the rise in France.

Ultra Premium Direct now has 150,000 subscribers receiving deliveries on a recurring basis, with e-commerce thus representing more than 90% of its total product sales.

Marion Paris, Communication Manager for French pet shop brand Zoomalia, says that “e-commerce remains its top retailing channel and continues to grow”.

According to her, this increased tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic and the online channel continues to offer more product choice, easier price comparison and the practicality of home delivery.

Pet food brand Ziggy mainly sells online and has seen revenues nearly double each year since its launch in 2020. With a turnover of €8 million ($8.7M) in 2024, it will soon start selling its products in Germany, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

Gifting and experiences

A 2024 survey conducted by market research company OpinionWay in collaboration with Bonial, found that French pet owners spend a monthly average of €107 ($116) on pet products.

Pet parents aged under 35 spend an average of €150 ($163) per month, almost twice as much as consumers over the age of 50.

An Ipsos survey shows that 56% of French pet owners buy a gift for their pet at Christmas and 53% do so for their birthday.

Clara Zambuto is the founder of Casa Del Doggo, a dog café and bakery in Paris. It sells treats and pastries, and organizes parties for dog birthdays and puppy showers.

“Our clients want to socialize with other pet parents. Dogs can also socialize together by playing and learning to share food,” says Zambuto.

Most of her clients are aged 25-35 and spend an average of €12 ($13) per visit.

“For French people, going to a café is cultural, so they are the perfect target for this business,” says Zambuto. The company made a profit in its very first year and is planning to open a second café in Paris this year.

Personalized memorials

Another phenomenon currently observed in France is the fast development and personalization of pet funerals. Since 2015, burying animals in gardens has been outlawed (previously, the practice was authorized for pets weighing under 40 kg).

From a 2024 survey, pet funeral home and crematorium Esthima found that a growing number of people have used pet funeral services, representing a rise of 9.6% compared to 2022.

“The main trends are personalization and anthropomorphism,” says Marie-Cécile Rochet, Esthima’s Marketing Director. About 80% of its clients request an individual cremation and 40% of them pay for a ceremony.

The company offers personalized products such as pet funeral urns, jewels containing ashes and mortuary toilet. It is the market leader, with a €55 million ($60M) turnover in 2023

. “It is a flourishing market. For a long time, we were the only firm operating in the sector. Nowadays, competition is growing,” says Rochet.

Even though more pet cemeteries are opening, there are still only around 30 in France.

“The demand is real. The alternative trend is also to offer memorial gardens for pet parents to meditate following the death of their pet,” says Rochet.

Indeed, according to Ipsos, 69% of pet owners consider their pet as a family member. A figure reaching 84% for respondents aged 25-34.

“People want the same thing for their pets as they do for members of their family,” says Rochet, summarizing the French pet owner’s mindset.