25th edition of GPF 2025: technology, investments, strategies and new markets

The GlobalPETS Forum (GPF) 2025, held in Prague from 22 to 24 January, marked its 25th edition and brought together pet industry insiders from around the world to discuss some of the most pressing issues currently affecting the sector.

The flexibility to face the future

One of the first sessions was a panel discussion featuring pet industry experts to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the event. They analyzed how the sector has evolved over recent years and what the future might look like.

“10 years ago, we talked about the future, and even today, we continue to talk about the same thing: the future,” said Pavel Bouška, Chairman of the Board at European pet food producer VAFO Group and one of the panelists, pinpointing how the pet industry has a track record of being future-facing.

Torsten Toeller, founder of Fressnapf, shared with attendees how the past 25 years have changed the German pet retailer’s ways of operating. “Our approach changed. Now we have and use customer data, not just direct sales but also customer loyalty.”

Also with an eye on the industry’s future, Chantal Saelen, Managing Director of Moderna Products, said she believed that humanization would continue to shape the pet sector: “But the future will definitely be different, as the world is changing more rapidly as ever before. Staying flexible and agile will always be crucial.”

The role of technology and AI

As AI makes its presence felt across the industry, Mike Davies from market research firm NielsenIQ tackled the topic of the state of the industry and shared some key insights about technology’s influence on shoppers’ decisions. A recent consumer survey from his company revealed that as many as 4 out of 10 customers would accept product recommendations from AI assistants.

This was also touched on during the second day of the event by Matthias Koch, the Founder and Managing Director of Anibene – a distributor of premium European pet brands in Asia – who presented an example of the successful use of technology during his discussion of the Southeast Asian pet market.

Purands.com, a pet brand that is successfully operating in Asia, does business through WhatsApp. It leverages AI-driven personalized chatbots that not only identify opportunities but also master cross-sell and upsell options. According to Koch, this has increased recurring purchases by 10%.

Appealing to every generation

Other GPF speakers discussed strategies for leveraging consumer behavior, including how to approach the different generations of pet owners.

Davies from NielsenIQ talked about how to make in-store visits memorable for pet owners, especially older generations who continue to prioritize offline shopping for the overall experience it can offer.

He also reminded the audience that, as older generations make up the majority of pet owners in the US and EU markets and have the most money to spend, they should remain a key target market.

Touching on the rise of nostalgia in branding, trendwatcher Tom Palmaerts, who led a session on the industry’s future, offered his insights on generational shifts, saying: “Today, we live in a time of poly-crisis, and people long for the comfort of the past.”

Focus on the cat sector

The cat market then took center stage, with Shannon Landry from Packaged Facts shedding light on its potential for growth.

She noted that younger consumers tend to favor cats partly because they incur lower maintenance costs, which aligns with urban living trends. However, she also presented the cat market as an underserved sector that brands should focus on more, claiming that “cat owners feel like second-class citizens in the pet industry.”

Furthermore, cat parents tend to be more loyal to brands, which makes them high-value customers. “People are hesitant to switch because the idea of a cat who stops using the litter box is terrifying to most cat owners,” she said.

Later, during her session on the recipe for successful brands, British innovation expert Claire Gavin presented an example of how innovative approaches and the art of differentiation can work specifically in the cat toy segment. In one of her marketing campaigns, cat owners were encouraged to observe their pets and their prey preferences.

“Identify what kind of prey your cat prefers and understand her. Thus, you will choose the best toy for her,” she explained.

Retailers: different strategies, one goal

The GPF also showcased pet retailers’ current approaches to present and future strategies, including the increasing role of the online channel.

“The omnichannel connection and the smartphone in customers’ hands have revolutionized retail. We’ve harnessed customer data to enhance loyalty and upsell opportunities,” said Fressnapf’s Toeller.

Ellinor Persdotter Nilsson, Chief Commercial Officer of Musti Group, emphasized the power of the shared passion of those working for the Nordic pet retailer. “In our company, 90% of our employees own pets. Every single employee at Musti is devoted to pets.”

During his talk on building a pet empire in Eastern Europe, Plaček Group Chairman Dušan Plaček highlighted the importance of creating unique in-store experiences.

“Brick-and-mortar stores remain crucial. We’ve rebranded our locations to be more spacious and inviting,” he said. “Having live pets in our stores is part of our DNA, even if it is financially demanding.”

Plaček shared that his company is now finalizing the expansion of stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while Nilsson outlined Musti’s strategy to become a prime player in the Nordics.

What investors are looking for

During the fireside chat on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), PwC Strategy& Director Sam Farnfield discussed what pet industry investors prioritize when closing a deal.

He emphasized that investors are currently looking for 3 main qualities when choosing a business to invest in: resilience, adaptability and flexibility. “They want to know if this business is adaptable enough to survive whatever comes,” he said.

Farnfield also pointed out that following the popularization of online channels during and after the pandemic, investors are now looking more critically at online companies. “Investors are a little concerned about injecting capital into the purely online businesses,” he said.

New markets: Southeast Asia

The pet care market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region was poised to reach $29 billion (€27.5B) in 2024. As one of the regions with potential for the pet industry, Matthias Koch from Anibene wrapped up the event with a snapshot of the Southeast Asian pet market and provided strategies on how to enter this potentially lucrative area.

He explained the main challenges, notably the fragmentation of this market, as well as the logistics and legal aspects. “One size does not fit all in Southeast Asia,” he noted.

While all European markets are regulated by similar rules, this is not the case in Southeast Asia. As a result, he suggested that pet brands choose a strong distributor, even outside of the pet space, with a strong national network and a deep knowledge of customs formalities.

Koch also highlighted that brands might want to particularly bear this in mind and explore the growing possibilities of the cat market in the region.