Sales totalling nearly 5.5 bn euros in 2020

Sales figures for the pet supplies sector collated by the IVH and ZZF for 2020 indicate an increase in sales of 4.3 per cent compared with the previous year. Sales by bricks-and-mortar speciality stores and supermarkets came to 4.513 bn euros overall, with pet convenience food accounting for the lion's share at 3.46 bn euros (+4.6 per cent). The pet requisites and accessories segment generated 1.053 bn euros in sales (+3.5 per cent). Here cat litter had the biggest share of sales (292 mio euros; +2.8 per cent). Added to these was 822 mio euros from online sales (+117 mio euros) along with 128 mio euros for wild bird food. Total sales for the German pet sector thus amounted to roughly 5.463 bn euros.
In stationary retailing, dog food accounted for sales totalling 1.567 bn euros (+4 per cent), while sales of cat food brought in 1.680 bn euros overall (+5.3 per cent). The markets for small animal food (91 mio euros, +4.6 per cent), food for ornamental fish (55 mio euros, +3.8 per cent) and food for cage birds (67 mio euros, +3.1 per cent) also showed pleasing growth.
Pet requisites and accessories for cats generated sales of 218 mio euros (+4.8 per cent) and for dogs, 225 mio euros (+4.7 per cent). Sales of required products and accessories for ornamental fish rose by 2.7 per cent to 190 mio euros. The cage bird segment recorded a 3.1 per cent increase in sales to 33 mio euros. Even the downward trend in pet requisites and accessories for small animals that characterised previous years was halted, with sales of 95 mio euros in all signalling growth of 2.2 per cent.
A total of 34.9 mio dogs, cats, small animals and cage birds resided in German households, equivalent to growth of nearly one million pets. Cats still top the popularity polls at 15.7 mio pets (+ 1 mio), followed by 10.7 mio dogs (+0.6 mio), 5 mio small animals (-0.2 mio) such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and mice, and 3.5 mio cage birds (-0.5 mio). In the same period, 1.8 mio aquariums (+0.2 mio), 1.4 mio garden ponds (+0.2 mio) and 1.3 mio terrariums (+0.1 mio) were recorded.
Most pets in Germany live in multiple-person households. Two-person households account for 34 per cent of the total (2019: 35 per cent), while households with three or more persons remain at 35 per cent. 31 per cent of pets are kept in single-person households (2019: 30 per cent). Many pet owners are in their middle years: 16 per cent are 30 to 39 years old (2019: 16 per cent), 19 per cent are aged between 40 and 49 (2019: 20 per cent), and 22 per cent are in the 55 to 59 age group (2019: 22 per cent). The proportion of pet owners aged up to 29 remains unchanged at 17 per cent, while the proportion of over-60s with pets rose slightly to 25 per cent (2019: 24 per cent).