Pet sector in the mood for samba

Brazil occupies a unique position on the South American continent. Country of the characteristic Sugarloaf Mountain, endless beaches of the Copa Cabana and the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain, it is the fifth-largest country on earth in terms of size and population. It is also the biggest and most populous country in South America, with over 200 million inhabitants. It therefore comes as no surprise that multinationals like Nestlé, for example, have chosen to base their South American headquarters in Brazil. The South American country is also fighting a moderate economic slowdown, which has had an impact on the pet supplies sector, leading consumers to purchase  more products from the cheaper and medium-price segment, although sales have tended to be less affected by this.

The sector's economic situation is boosted by the growing number of pets kept in Brazil. Canines top the list of the 103.5 million pets in Brazil, as shown by figures from the market research company Euromonitor International. Numbering 37.31 million, they account for over a third of the overall pet population. The number of dogs in the country has risen by more than 3 million compared with 2010 (34.01 million dogs). The increase in the population of the second most important pet, the cat, was even greater, rising from around 17.9 million in 2010 to 22.8 million cats in 2014. Brazil thus has the second-highest level of cat and dog ownership in the world. Dogs and cats aren't the only pets that have grown rapidly in number in Brazil, however; the population of other pets has increased significantly too, from around 42 million in 2010 to over 44 million pets in 2014.

How the pet population figures stack up is reflected by the sales figures in the pet care segment, because dogs and cats are the growth drivers here too. Taking the inflation rate into account, the pet care market in Brazil had an overall retail value of $ 5.1 bn in 2014. Pet food accounts for around $ 4.43 bn. Dogs are responsible for the biggest share by far of this impressive figure: products for canines alone had a retail value of $ 3.39 bn in 2014. Products for cats came next in the retail value rankings, with sales levelling off at $ 587 mio in 2014. Another popular segment in Brazil is aquatics. This perception is supported not only by the 21.3 mio fish kept in Brazilian households; the retail value of fish food at $ 286.8 mio speaks for itself.