Strategies for the pet sector

A growing trend towards concentration in trade and industry, falling margins, a greater reluctance to spend on the part of consumers – the pet sector in Germany is currently having a hard time in view of the fragile state of the economy. Since discount stores with aggressive pricing policies like Aldi and Lidl have recently begun targeting the pet product sphere increasingly in their price campaigns, the alarm bells have started ringing in the speciality trade. But the difficult times at present should not be a reason for giving up, especially as the pet sector is still sitting relatively pretty compared with other branches of the economy.
Led by Ralf Majer-Abele, editor-in-chief of the trade journals pet and PET in Europe, the 1st Pet Conference in Wiesbaden will try and find practical concepts for dispelling the current gloom. To this end, well-known industry insiders from the retail and manufacturing segments will speak on topical matters. The activities of commercial companies outside the sector will also come under the spotlight at the conference, and speakers from the DIY store sphere and Internet businesses will be attending. Ralf Majer-Abele and Anthony Preston, managing director of the leading UK pet store chain Pets at home, will provide an overview in their contributions of the development of the pet product sector in other European countries, while general consumer trends and the competition situation in the retail trade will be covered by various corporate consultants and market research experts.
Taking place in parallel with the conference is the Pet World 2004 trade show. Here innovative manufacturers and service companies will have an opportunity to present their potential solutions in the "New Products”, "New Technologies” and "New Services” spheres to the top decision-makers in the pet product industry.
Iams Pet Food has consented to be the main sponsor of the 1st Pet Conference. This event is also being sponsored by Masterfoods, and it has the backing of Vitakraft and the trade journals pet and PET in Europe.
In addition to lectures on interesting topics of immediate relevance to the industry, a high-level round of discussions on the future of the pet sector is being organised on the first afternoon of the conference. A further highlight of the first day is an evening get-together hosted by Iams Deutschland, which will offer guests an opportunity to chat to the speakers, exhibitors and participants in a convivial atmosphere.
There are also…