How’s the Italian pet industry doing?

The Italian pet food segment recorded 14.9% growth across all sales channels in the year ending October 2023. 

According to data from consumer behavior consultancy Circana, the segment’s turnover stood at more than €3 billion ($3.2B), while volume remained stable, growing just 0.9%. 

The main driver of growth in this category was cat food, with wet cat food accounting for almost one-third of Italy’s pet food industry’s recorded turnover. Other product categories contributing to growth were dry dog and cat food. 

A higher value

On analyzing pet food performance in large-scale retail, Circana noted that value growth was much higher than the channel average, clocking in an increase of 16.6% compared to 9% seen in total retail goods consumption. 

However, the consumer behavior consultancy noted that prices also rose compared to the 10.8% rise seen in the total market, marking an increase of 14.3%.

According to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), consumer prices grew by an average of 5.7% in 2023, down from 8.1% in the previous year.

E-commerce

As of March 2024, German e-commerce pet retailer Zooplus remains the leading company of choice for pet parents in Italy, according to data from consulting firm Casaleggio Associati.

The websites of Italian pet retailers Arcaplanet and Isola dei Tesori followed, the latter jumping up 1 spot from last year.

The consulting firm analyzed data from 6,082 e-commerce websites and 106 from the pet industry. 

You can find a 2024 overview of the Italian pet industry, including the latest data and trends, here.