United Kingdom Pet Food Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

United Kingdom Pet Food Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The United Kingdom pet food market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period (2021-2026).

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been an exceptionally troubling period for the United Kingdom pet food market. In 2020, during the initial stage of lockdown, there was a sudden surge in demand due to panic buying of pet food, followed by decreased demand due to stockpiling among consumers. Due to lockdown restrictions, the supply has become constrained, which resulted in a slowdown of the supply chain.

Pet humanization involves owners trying to incorporate pets into more aspects of their human lives, like holidays, nutrition, healthcare, and more. This led to the commercialization of human-like goods and services for pets such as pet food, which is acting as a major driver behind the growth of this market. Furthermore, the demographic shift toward nuclear families leads to increased pet ownership. Changing societal priorities have influenced the way pets are being fed. The wet pet food segment dominates the market in the country. The major players in the market are Mars Inc., Nestle Purina Petcare Company, Pets Choice Ltd, Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., The J.M. Smucker Company (Big Heart Pet Brands Inc.), and Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc., among others.

Key Market TrendsRising Trend of Pet Humanization

The rapid pace of economic and societal changes is driving pet ownership and the pet food market trends. The new generation is becoming more isolated, and as a result, pets are treated as companions, leading to the growth of the pet food market. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA), dog and cat populations in the United Kingdom were 9 million and 8 million, respectively, with the households owning dogs and cats being 26% and 18%, respectively, in 2018. The dog and cat populations in 2017 stood at 8.5 million and 8 million, respectively. In 2018, the total number of households owning pets was 13 million, which equates to 45% of the total households in the United Kingdom, whereas in 2017, there were 12 million households owning pets. Thus, the growing pet population, coupled with the rising pet-owning trend, is expected to drive the pet food market during the study period.

The Wet Food Segment Dominates the Market

Owing to the increasing pet population, the pet food market in the United Kingdom is recording steady growth. Consumers are buying pet foods in large quantities than in the past and are moving from table scraps and home-cooked food to packaged/prepared pet food, especially for dogs, as there is an ongoing movement for higher quality and nutritionally sound premium wet pet food. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA), the market volume for wet food (which includes only cat and dog food) was 538,000 metric ton in 2018 compared to 555,000 in 2017. Furthermore, the volume of dry food accounted for 516,000 metric ton in 2018 compared to 514,000 metric ton in 2017. According to the PFMA report, 91% of vets agree that when fed correctly, commercially prepared food provides optimum nutrition for cats and dogs.

Competitive Landscape

The United Kingdom pet food market is consolidated, with few leading players occupying a major share in the market. The major players in the market are Mars Inc., Nestle Purina Petcare Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company (Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.), The J.M. Smucker Company, Pets Choice Ltd, Harringtons Pet Food, and Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc., among others.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

Companies Mentioned

Mars Inc.
Nestle SA (Purina)
Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.
United Petfood
Diamond Pet Foods
Pets Choice Ltd
Wellpet
InVivo NSA
The J.M. Smucker Company (Big Heart Pet Brands Inc.)
Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc.

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