“Sweeping changes to the global market”

Now we are a few months into the year, how do you assess the mood in the pet supplies sector globally at present? “Cautious optimism” is the phrase which probably best describes the pet sector at the moment. The global economy continues to struggle but pet-related products have proved resilient. However, certain segments of the pet sector are faring better than others under these economic conditions. On the whole, the global pet food market continues to flourish, showing surprising strength. What was your company’s sales trend like last year and in the first few months of this year? 2011 was a good year. Sales growth was more sporadic than usual, however. Latin America saw sharp increases while Europe increased but at a slower pace. The first quarter of 2012 was particularly strong. We expect our growth rate in 2012 to be one of the highest in recent years – thanks in large part to the growing holistic market. An extensive range of holistic and organic pet foods was on show again at this year’s Global Pet Expo. How have you fared with your “Earthborn Holistic” line outside the USA? “Earthborn Holistic” is currently sold in about 25 countries worldwide. Currently, the market for holistic pet food appears to be more developed in Asia, Australia and Latin America than in western Europe. It even appears that the holistic market is more developed in eastern Europe than in western Europe. I heard a report recently which stated that the holistic pet food market in western Europe is at least ten years behind North America. There is tremendous potential for the holistic pet food segment worldwide. How did you rate the Global Pet Expo this year? Was it a success for your company? Holistic pet foods have incredible momentum in the North American market. This year our focus was almost exclusively on the “Earthborn Holistic” line. The interest at the show in holistic pet foods – and not just for our pro­ducts – was very strong. Without a doubt, this year’s show was our most successful Global Pet Expo yet. As you have already mentioned, the pet markets in Latin and Central America are experiencing strong growth. How is your company positioned in these countries? Latin America seems to have escaped the slow economy which is plaguing much of the rest of the world. All along they’ve been bracing for economic problems but the downturn hasn’t arrived. We’re benefiting from Latin America’s growing economic strength. For many years eastern Europe has been our fastest grow­ing…