Italy: a dynamic market

Growing market

According to the ASSALCO – ZOOMARK 2017 Report on Pet Food and Pet Care in Italy there are currently 60 million pets in Italy, an average of one pet per person, and 2.3 per family.

In 2016, total turnover for dog and cat food products in Italy reached €2 billion ($2.4 billion) in value, with a volume of 559,200 tonnes sold. The positive trend in the Italian market continues, with an increase in turnover of 2.7% over the previous year and an increase in volume equal to 1.3%.

Main segments

The cat food segment accounts for 53.2% of the total turnover for the grocery, traditional pet shop, plus pet specialty chains market, for a combined value of €1.0 billion ($1.2 billion). In value, dog food accounts for 46.8%, equal to nearly €923 million ($1.1 billion). This breaks down into 52.1% dry food, 34.2% wet food, and 13.7% snacks. In 2016, all three main segments of dog and cat food (wet, dry, and snacks and treats) grew in value. Specifically, snacks and treats continue to post double-digit increases (+10.3% in value), the highest growth rate in the market. The best performances were recorded in the specialty chains channel, where cat snacks were up by 11% and dog snacks by 19.7%.

Non-food

According to data collected from hypermarkets, supermarkets and small retail, the accessories segment continued its growth trend in 2016 with strong increases in the mass market, which grew 6% in value, for a combined turnover of €72.3 million ($86.7 million). The positive trend in the segment was driven especially by products for animal hygiene, which grew by 27.4% in value over 2015. This was followed by toys (+10.1% in value) and anti-parasite treatments (+3.5% in value). Cat litter sales increased in value by 3.7%, for a total turnover equal to €67.4 million ($80.8 million).