Many questions without an answer

Following a rather poor financial year in 2003, hopes are high that things will pick up in Europe in 2004. There are some signs that an economic recovery is on the way, but nothing more than that as yet. This year should therefore prove interesting for the pet product industry. Several questions spring to mind. Will the speciality trade continue to hold its own in competition with other distribution channels? PET in Europe foresees good prospects for this, for no-one can handle the growing diversification of the product range on offer as competently as the speciality trade, a fact that is recognised by an increasing number of pet owners.
Whether the pet market will grow further might depend on what the world’s leading pet product trade show Interzoo has to offer. If leading manufacturers weigh in with some interesting innovations, it will give the market the new impetus that industry and commerce urgently need. Will Interzoo get bigger, or stagnate at its previous (high) level? Competition in the exhibition business has increased steadily in recent years. Almost every country in Europe now has a pet product show, and many retailers and manufacturers are asking themselves whether it is even necessary in these circumstances to go to Interzoo in Nuremberg.
There may also be an air of anticipation regarding the new trade fair planned for Paris in June: JLEE, which is a combination of garden and pet trade show like GLEE in Birmingham. Will it succeed? Will it even rival the established Expozoo exhibition?
From fairs to commerce, and again changes may be in the air here too this year. Whether the trend towards the creation of speciality retail chains will become stronger is one of the main questions industry insiders are asking themselves. All eyes are focused on the east in this case. In May eight new states will join the European Union, with major consequences for them and their populations, who are already starting to complain about the quotas and tax adjustments demanded by Brussels, which are driving up the cost of living noticeably. The transparency of the markets there should certainly increase following accession to the EU – and then perhaps firms will also show a greater inclination to do business in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the other new EU member states. What will the consequences for the pet industry be? Questions spawning more questions, that cannot yet be answered as we embark on another new year.
Your
Ralf Majer-Abele