Italian pet supplies market remains steady

In the last year the Italian market for dog and cat food has grown in terms of sales by 3.8 per cent to 2.051 bn euros. These figures were revealed in the latest report from the Italian industry association Assalco and Zoomark International.
The tonnage in 2017 was 573 940 t, equivalent to growth of 2.4 per cent. However, the market for food for other pets declined in value by 6.1 per cent and by 2.8 per cent in volume. Sales of accessories amounted to approx. 72 mio euros, denoting a slight downturn of 2 per cent, although the hygiene segment recorded strong growth of 15 per cent compared with 2016. In the product groups of toys, chew toys and pest control, sales were down slightly, but cat litter sales showed a modest increase of 0.4 per cent over 2016 to 68 mio euros, while tonnage fell by 1 per cent.
Estimates by Assalco and Zoomark International put the number of pets in Italy at 60 mio, including 30 mio ornamental fish.