A clear growth trend

This perception emerged from a survey conducted by PET worldwide of the leading suppliers of aquarium products. The companies agreed that two phases of the coronavirus pandemic could be distinguished since its onset. These were the phase during lockdown, when a massive downturn in sales occurred above all in France, Spain and Italy, and the post-lockdown phase from June onwards, when a dynamic turnaround completely cancelled out the sales losses. "Following the reopening and rollback of restrictions, demand rose so sharply that our logistics centre had to introduce weekend working to keep pace with it," recalled Heiko Blessin, marketing manager at JBL. All things considered, manufacturers appear satisfied with the overall trend in aquatics this year. They point to a heightened cocooning effect, which played out in people "frequently using their holiday savings to create a feelgood retreat in their own home," as summarised by Koord Janssen, managing director of Tetra GmbH and division vice-president Pet Europe/MEA at Spectrum Brands. And Dominik Casper, press officer at Sera, said: "The obvious conclusion is that many consumers who had to ditch their foreign holiday this year brought a bit of holiday to their home in the form of a pond or aquarium."

"The market has seen increased demand for aquariums and ornamental fish, the obvious assumption being that new enthusiasts have been converted to this great hobby," adds Christian Parbs, managing director of Hagen Deutschland. Both Koord Janssen and Christian Parbs emphasise the clear growth trend discernible in eastern European countries, despite a strong euro and the prices associated with this. Japan, Germany, Spain and the USA have also exhibited a highly positive trend in the view of the Tetra boss. In the USA, growth has been boosted by the pay-out of emergency aid cheques to citizens to shore up the economy during the pandemic. The aquarium business was a beneficiary of this, according to Koord Janssen. Christian Parbs also cites Scandinavia as a region where aquatics has performed well during the course of the year. "Central Europe is showing steady development, but the potential is there." Heiko Blessin says that business is still rather slow in some Asian countries: "Koi breeders in Japan continue to rely on online sales, causing the sale of larger and more expensive koi to stagnate."
Which product groups are doing especially well at present? Dominik Casper of Sera says aquariums…