Italian tech player Nital enters the pet market

Turin-based Nital, which distributes well-known cameras, robot vacuums and drones, is now adding pet tech company Neakasa under its umbrella.

The Hong Kong company produces the M1 automated litterboxes and the P0 Pro, a 5-in-1 grooming kit. Both will be distributed in Italy by Nital. The M1 is competing directly with US-based Whisker’s Litter-Robot, which recently launched a European website as it prepares to expand internationally.

In a press release, Nital Product Manager Giorgia Cristofaletti says that the company has chosen to move forward with Neakasa’s products due to their quality and reliability and cites strong growth in Italy’s pet market.

Italian pet market growth

Statista estimates that Italy is home to 10.2 million cats and 8.8 million dogs, one of the largest pet populations in Europe. In 2014, 22% of Italian households owned at least one dog, while about 19% had a cat. These numbers rose by 2022, when dogs and cats were owned by 28% and 22% of households, respectively.

According to data from consumer behavior consultant Circana, the local pet food market posted a turnover of around €3 billion ($3.1B) in 2023. The same report estimates that the cat litter market in Italy is worth €100 million ($104M) and experienced a 14% increase between 2022 and 2023.

Companies entering the pet industry

Nital is not the first major corporation to enter the pet market. With relatively stable growth, many companies looking to diversify their portfolios have turned to pets.

The meal kit company HelloFresh launched its pet offerings last year. This new service, The Pets Table, is available across most of the US. Similarly, meat subscription company ButcherBox has begun offering pet services.

Major Chinese e-commerce giants have also entered the pet space, with Shein and Temu offering pet goods at rates that undercut many other global retailers’ prices.