€5.3 billion in turnover in Italy

The Italian market for pet food and care products reached a value of €5.3 billion in 2025 – a 2.5% increase compared with 2024. This was reported by Giorgio Massoni, President of Assalco, the National Association of Pet Food and Care Companies, at a Zoomark press conference held as part of Interzoo on 14 May in Nuremberg. According to Massoni, €4.2 bn of this figure is accounted for by dog and cat food (79% of the market), whilst 21% or €1.1 bn is accounted for by the pet care sector. The e-commerce channel has grown strongly and, at €483 mio, now accounts for 11.5% of the market share.

According to the figures, independent pet shops have seen growth of 2.9 per cent, whilst specialist retail chains such as Arcaplanet and pet shops affiliated with food retailers have driven the specialist sector in particular, with growth of 4.1 per cent. Supermarkets and hypermarkets, by contrast, recorded a slight decline in sales.

The pet population in Italy is very large and is estimated at 53.6 mio animals. Fish account for the largest share, with over 25 mio in 1.7 mio aquariums, followed by cats (11 mio) and dogs (9.1 mio). Over half of Italian households (54.5%) live with at least one pet. This figure rises to 66.7% among families with young children, which shows that pets accompany the presence of children rather than replacing them, according to the report.

You can read a detailed report in PET worldwide 3/2026, which is due to be published on 21 July.