German pet market (III): Inside 2024’s pet categories and retail dynamics

What are the main trends in retail categories and channels that the German pet care market experienced in 2024?

Pet food

German pet parents spent more on ready-made pet food in 2024 than in the previous year, a total of €4.3 billion ($4.9B), up 1.3% year-over-year (YoY).

Cat food drove the increase, with brick-and-mortar sales of €2.3 billion ($2.6B), a 3.5% increase from 2023. Dry food contributed €377 million ($428M), a 5.9% increase. Snacks and cat milk posted a 3.9% increase to €369 million ($419M), and wet food gained 2.9% to around €1.5 billion ($1.7B).

Germany’s cat population increased from 15.7 million to 15.9 million between 2023 and 2024, with 25% of households owning a cat.

Dog food revenue was down 0.7% YoY to €1.8 billion ($2B), with a 0.2% decrease for wet food to €593 million ($674M) and a 2.8% decrease for dry food to €414 million ($471M). Snack sales were up 1.5% to €752 million ($855M).

Ornamental fish food

The only other major pet food category to gain was ornamental fish feed, up 3.9% YoY to €62 million ($70M). Bird food declined by 4.1% to €71 million ($81.4M), small animal food by 7.9% to €82 million ($93M) and wild bird feed by 9.9% to €145 million ($165M).

“While sales of pet food increased slightly, they remained below the inflation rate,” explains IVH Chairman Georg Müller. “Within this category, there were species-specific differences, with cat food showing the strongest growth.”

Accessories and litter

Overall revenue in the pet supplies and accessories space was down 0.6% YoY to approximately €1.1 billion ($1.3B).

“Pet owners care about the well-being of their animals, so they invested in food, health and grooming,” says ZZF President Norbert Holthenrich. “However, due to financial strain, some postponed larger purchases such as dog accessories, small animal enclosures or aquarium technology.”

Revenue from bird accessories decreased by 10% to €27 million ($31M), while fish accessories declined by 6.2% to €167 million ($190M).

On the other hand, cat accessories gained 0.4% to €242 million ($275M), while cat litter grew 7.1% to €376 million ($427M).

For more insights:
German pet market (I): Stability at €7 billion in 2024
German pet market (II): Pet population registers slight decline in 2024