The pet food market - France (2024)

1.2 A steadily growing global market

The global market

The global pet food market is valued at $***.* billion by MordorIntelligence. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of +*.**% over the period ****-****, approaching $*** billion in ****.

Using Mordor Intelligence's estimates, we have the following forecasts for the coming years:

Global pet food market World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

The pet food market is dynamic, driven not only by thegrowing pet population, but also by the increasing humanization of pets by their owners, and the premiumization of their care and services.

Pet populations World, ****, in millions Source: ****

The North American region is the sector's leading market, with **.**% of the market in ****. [***] The market is dominated by two American giants, Mars Petcare and Nestlé Purina PetCare .

Revenues of leading companies in the pet food market World, ****, in billions of US dollars Source: ****

The European market

The European market represents another major share of the global pet food market. By ****, **.* million tonnes of pet food would have been sold in Europe, representing sales of **.* billion euros. The average growth rate over the past three years has been *.*%. [***]

Annual sales of pet food products Europe, ****-****, in millions of tons and billions of euros Source: ****

In ****, FEDIAF estimated that ...

1.3 A French market that is growing in terms of value but will decline slightly in terms of volume by 2023

The French pet food market is following the global trend, with similar growth to the national level.

Sales of cat and dog food in supermarkets France, **** - ****, in billions of euros Source: ****

The French cat and dog food market in supermarkets and hypermarkets thus grew by +*.*% in ****, driven by premiumization and the online sales segment. All channels combined, growth is even faster, with the petfood market reaching *.* billion euros in ****, up *% on ****. [***]

Total petfood sales France, **** - ****, in billions of euros Source: ****

The graph shows steady growth in petfood sales by value over the last three years, with a more pronounced increase in ****. Overall, the graph shows a positive dynamic for the French petfood industry over these three years. According to a **** Ifop study, food is the number one item on the French pet expenditure list, with an average annual expenditure of €*** (***). This budget increase may explain the significant rise in total petfood sales in ****.

However, in this period of generalized inflation, it is interesting to look at sales volumes. at P* ****, the evolution of petfood sales in volume terms was -*.*%, compared with an evolution in value terms of +**. *%[***]

Change in cat petfood sales vs N-* France, CAD to P* ...

1.4 Dynamic foreign trade with a large surplus

For the animal feed category (***).

French imports have been growing since **** and exports since ****, but imports have been growing faster than exports, as shown by the deterioration in the coverage rate (***). Nevertheless, France will still have a large surplus at the end of ****, and both imports and exports will continue to grow.

Foreign trade in animal feed France, ****-****, in billions of euros and percentage Source: ****

French exports are relatively diversified, with the majority going to Spain (***).

Main feed importing countries France, ****, in percent Source: ****

French imports are much more concentrated, with **.*% coming from the Netherlands, **.*% from Belgium and **.*% from Belgium. These three countries thus account for **.*% of French imports.

Main countries of origin of animal feed imports France, ****, in percent Source: ****

1.5 The impact of Covid-19 on the sector

Covid-** has had a positive impact on the pet food market. There was a peak in March ****, when manufacturers' sales were **.*% higher than in March ****. This then remained well ahead of the previous year, although the gap narrowed as the French became more accustomed to confinement.

The March peak can be explained by precautionary stockpiling. Frightened by the prospect of strict confinement and the impossibility of making these purchases for their animals, consumers bought much more feed for their pets. However, even after this peak, sales were still higher than the previous year, and the anticipatory spending of the French did not subsequently reduce their consumption and pampered their companions during the health crisis.

Variation in the sales index for animal feed manufacturing France, ****-****, in index base *** **** Source: ****

Pet food stores remained open throughout the containment period, whether in supermarkets, specialty stores or garden centers, which were only authorized to sell animal products until April *. So, like other industries in France, the sector did not suffer from the closure of its outlets.

Sales index for animal feed manufacturing France, **** - **** Source: ****

If we look at average variations from **** to ****, we can see that animal feed manufacturing is finally emerging as ...

2.1 The French, big fans of pets

The French are great fans of pets: **% of households had a pet in ****, and **% at least one dog or cat. [***] Between **** and ****, there will be a negative trend of -*.*% for cats, but a slight increase of *.*% for dogs. In France, the dog population has thus stabilized over the last ten years at around *.* million, but the cat craze has increased their population by **.*% between **** and ****.

The NAC population is estimated at * million in France, including *.* million mammals and *.* million other animals such as snakes, spiders and reptiles. [***]

The most popular pets in French households are cats and dogs. **% of French households will own a cat and **% will own a dog by ****. [***]

Growth in the number of dogs and cats France, ****-****, in millions of pets Source: ****

In Europe in ****, France is the *thcountry with the most dogs, with *.* million, and the *rd country with the most cats, with **.* million. [***]

In Europe, the Russians have the most pets (***).Germany and the UK are also in the top * countries for each type of animal.

Country rankings by dog population Europe, ****, in millions of dogs Source: ****

Country rankings by cat population Europe, ****, in millions of cats Source: ****

2.2 Profil des clients

Sur ce marché il y'a deux types de clients : ceux qui achète et ceux qui consomme.

Zoom sur les acheteurs, les propriétaires d'animaux de compagnie. 

Répartition des dépenses d'aliments pour animaux selon la tranche d'âge et situation familiale France, P* ****, % Source: ****

En France, sur la période de janvier à mai ****, les dépenses en aliments pour animaux se concentrent majoritairement chez les sexagénaires, qui représentent **,* % des achats, suivis des septuagénaires et plus (***), tandis que les jeunes de moins de ** ans et les familles avec bébé se situent en bas de l’échelle, avec respectivement *,* % et *,* % des dépenses.

Ces chiffres reflètent une surreprésentation des ménages plus âgés et sans jeunes enfants.

Répartition des dépenses en aliments pour animaux selon la CSP France, P* ****, % Source : LSAhttps://www.lsa-conso.fr/mediatheque/*/*/*/*********.pdf   En ****,  les dépenses en aliments pour animaux sont majoritairement réalisées par les catégories socio-professionnelles moyennes, représentant ** % des dépenses (***). Les catégories modestes contribuent à **,* %, tandis que les catégories aisées représentent **,* % des dépenses. Ces données mettent en évidence la prépondérance des ménages de classe ...

2.3 Les habitudes de consommation concernant l'alimentation des animaux de compagnie

Les habitudes de consommation en matière d’alimentation pour animaux de compagnie évoluent sous l’influence de la recherche de praticité, de qualité nutritionnelle et de diversification des offres. Qu’il s’agisse de chiens ou de chats, les propriétaires montrent une forte préférence pour les aliments industriels, tout en adoptant progressivement des pratiques complémentaires comme les friandises, les compléments ou les repas frais.

Alimentations principales des chiens France, ****, % Source: ****

  Alimentations principales des chats France, ****, % Source : FACCO   En ****, l’alimentation préparée industrielle s’impose comme la principale option pour nourrir chiens et chats en France, représentant ** % des pratiques alimentaires pour les chiens et ** % pour les chats. En comparaison, l’alimentation ménagère et le mix des deux restent très minoritaires, avec seulement * % et * % pour les chiens, et * % et * % pour les chats. Cette forte préférence pour les produits industriels souligne l’évolution des attentes des propriétaires, qui privilégient la praticité et les garanties nutritionnelles. Cette domination du marché industriel laisse entrevoir une croissance continue en valeur, même en cas de baisse ou de stagnation des volumes consommés.   Les différents types d'aliments donnés ...

2.4 Une hausse des dépenses concernant l'alimentation pour animaux de compagnie

Répartition du budget que les Français consacrent à leurs animaux de compagnie France, ****, en euros Source: ****

L’alimentation constitue de loin le premier poste de dépenses des Français pour leurs animaux de compagnie en ****, représentant ** % du budget total.

Les frais vétérinaires occupent la deuxième place avec ** %, tandis que les loisirs/accessoires et l’assurance se partagent * % chacun. Les catégories hygiène/esthétique (***) ferment la marche.

Cette répartition souligne l'importance des besoins essentiels comme l’alimentation et les soins de santé, qui cumulent ** % des dépenses totales, reléguant les dépenses plus secondaires à une part marginale.

Dépenses moyennes mensuelles pour l'alimentation des animaux de compagnie France, ****, % Source : IFOP  Très peu d'interrogés dépensent plus de ** euros par mois pour l'alimentation de leurs animaux de compagnie. La majorité dépense soit moins de ** euros par mois, soit entre ** à ** euros par mois.

En moyenne, les français déboursent **€ par mois pour l'alimentation de leur animal de compagnie.

Dépenses par acheteur concernant les aliments pour animaux France, ****-****, € Source: ****

Entre **** et ****, les dépenses annuelles moyennes par acheteur pour les aliments pour animaux en France ont significativement augmenté, passant ...

2.5 Premiumisation de l'alimentation pour animaux de compagnie

Une humanisation des animaux de compagnie...

Les nouvelles tendances de la demande sont portées par un phénomène commun : les propriétaires accordent une importance de plus en plus grande à leurs animaux. Ainsi, selon une étude d'Ipsos **% des propriétaires de chiens et chats en **** considèrent leur animal comme un membre de la famille à part entière. Ce chiffre monte à **% pour les propriétaires de chiens et n'est que de **% pour les propriétaires de chats. 

Comment considérez vous votre chien ou chat ? France, ****, en pourcentage des sondés Source: ****

...qui se traduit par l'importance grandissante accordée à leur alimentation

Les animaux sont de plus en plus humanisés, et ainsi **% des propriétaires pensent que la qualité de la nourriture de leur animal devrait être égale à la leur. [***].   

Au sujet de l’alimentation de votre chien / chat et plus largement de la nutrition, diriez-vous que la nourriture que vous lui donnez… France, ****, en pourcentage Source: ****

...et par une premiumisation de leur alimentation en conséquence

Les propriétaires ont davantage envie de faire plaisir à leurs animaux, ce qui s'illustre par exemple par une hausse des ventes sur le segment des friandises, en croissance de ...

3.1 A market dominated by a few major players

The dog and cat food market is dominated by two giants, Nestlé Purina Petcare and Mars Petcare, which together will account for **.*% of the market by ****. The *rd main player is private label.

Dog and cat food market share by value France, ****, in Source: ****

Each of these two giants has its own specialty: while Nestlé Purina Petcare largely dominates the cat food market,Mars Petcare is number one in the dog food sector.

Preferred cat food brands France, ****, in Source: ****

Preferred dog food brands France, ****, in Source: ****

Food for other animals forms a completely separate market from dog and cat food, with different players. The bird food segment includes brands such as Erdtmanns and Versele Laga. The latter is also positioned in the hamster and rodent food segment, as are brands such as Hamiform and Feedeez. These brands are distributed by Jardiland.

3.2 Sector value chain

By ****, the pet food sector in France will represent *,*** direct jobs and over **,*** indirect jobs. [***] Here's an overview of the pet food value chain in France:

Source: ****

3.3 Distribution channels

Breakdown of petfood distribution channels France, ****, in Source: ****

The dominant distribution channel remains supermarkets, with **% of sales for cats and **% for dogs. E-commerce is a popular distribution channel for dog and cat owners, accounting for **.*% and **% of sales respectively.

The growth of future e-commerce sales is, however, open to question, since an analysis of Internet traffic to petfood sites by the Semrush website suggests a stagnation in the number of visitors. We have isolated the main pet food sites in order to observe a general market trend: Zooplus, la compagnie des animaux, Bitiba, Animaux market, Vetostore, Croquetteland, Wanimo and Zoomalia. We estimated traffic for each site using Semrush, which uses a variety of methods to estimate traffic, such as partner site data that measures visits from a customer panel. It will also use the number of searches on a given keyword and the site's position to estimate traffic. While there may be significant discrepancies between the results and reality (***), it nevertheless enables us to obtain market shares and trends in online activity in the French petfood sector.

One of the databases used by the Semrush site was updated in June ****, modifying the estimates proposed by the sites. In order to remain ...

3.4 A dynamic market

The "petfood" market, like the "petcare" market, has seen strong growth in recent years, driven by the demand for higher-quality products and by owners who pay more attention to their pets. It's also a dynamic market which, despite being dominated by a few major players, is attracting new players and investors. Witness the strong growth of startup Ultra Premium Direct, founded in ****, a pioneer in direct online sales of pet food. In ****, Eurazeo acquires a majority stake with an investment of ** million euros to enable the company's expansion in Europe. In the same year, Ultra Premium Direct invests * million euros to expand its factory in Agen and opens its first physical boutique in Montauban.

Ultra Premium Direct sales France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Major new startups on the market include Japhy, Pettywell, and Caats, which specializes in customized cat food and raised * million euros in January **** from the Otium Capital fund. [***]

In the personalized, fresh meals segment, startup Pepette, created in ****, is making more and more headlines, notably with a €* million fundraising in **** from the Ambrosia fund, which specializes in agri-food and food-tech, and Go Capital funds.

Finally, another segment with potential seems to be insect-based food, on which ...

3.5 Une production française qui évolue positivement

Indice de chiffre d'affaires de la fabrication d'aliments pour animaux France, **** - **** Source: ****

L'indice de chiffre d'affaires de la fabrication d'aliments pour animaux en France, avec une base *** en ****, montre une progression notable entre **** (***), sans pour autant altérer la performance globale. Ces chiffres mettent en évidence la résilience et le bon état de la production française, soutenue par l’innovation et la demande croissante.

4.1 Des prix de vente qui augmentent

Evolution du prix moyen au kilo des aliments pour animaux France, ****-****, € Source: ****

Le prix moyen au kilo des aliments pour animaux en France a connu une progression constante entre **** et ****, passant de *.** euros à *.** euros, soit une augmentation globale de ** %.

Cette hausse est particulièrement marquée entre **** et **** (***).

Ces chiffres traduisent l’impact des tensions inflationnistes sur le secteur, ainsi qu’un probable repositionnement vers des produits de qualité supérieure ou premium.

Sentiment des possesseurs d'animaux de compagnie concernant l'augmentation des prix France, ****, % Source : IFOP   Pour tous les items, la réponse la plus reçue est une hausse des prix. C’est en alimentation que ce sentiment est le plus marqué, avec ** % des possesseurs d’animaux signalant une augmentation, soit une proportion nettement supérieure aux autres catégories, comme les frais vétérinaires (***). À l'inverse, les domaines où les prix sont perçus comme les plus stables incluent le gardiennage (***). Globalement, ** % des possesseurs d'animaux remarquent une hausse des prix dans au moins un des postes de dépenses liés à leurs animaux.

4.2 The rise of the premium segment

Growth in recent years has been driven more by premiumization. In ****, the market grew by *.*% in value in supermarkets, while volumes rose by only *.*% that same year. [***]

Industry players are also highlighting the trend, since according to Simon Lesage (***) "**% of the category's growth is in valued segments: health & well-being and moments of pleasure and connection with one's pet".

We can draw up the following panomara of premium brands:

4.3 Organic and natural products: segments with potential

Natural and organic products are on the rise in the pet food market. Increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of their pets, owners are also aware of theecological impact of pet food. The number of organic and natural pet food products on offer is exploding, and this is helping to enhance the market's offering, despite the fact that sales volumes are sometimes lower in certain segments. Despite the meteoric rise of the organic food market in recent years, the organic petfood segment remains anecdotal. In ****, it will still account for just *.*% of the petfood market, compared with *.*% for all FMCG products. [***] However, many brands are trying to develop this market, accompanied by retailers such as Carrefour, which has launched its first organic snacks in **** under its own brand: Companino Naturally Bio. The term natural is not legally defined by French regulations on this market, but manufacturers are increasingly using it to present products without additives, colorants or artificial flavoring, for example. Examples of natural or organic offerings include: The **** launch of Purina Beyond, with its AB label; The entry into French supermarkets of the Dutch Yarrah group (***) under the Dano brand, also AB-labeled; The Ultima Nature range from Affinity Petcare, ...

4.4 L'innovation en vrac : Purina teste un distributeur automatique de croquettes à Saint-Brieuc

Le marché des aliments pour animaux de compagnie connaît une transformation, notamment grâce à des initiatives innovantes en matière de distribution. Purina, acteur clé du secteur, a récemment lancé un projet pilote à Saint-Brieuc avec un distributeur automatique de croquettes en vrac. Ce concept s'inscrit dans une démarche écoresponsable, répondant à une demande croissante des consommateurs pour des solutions plus durables et personnalisées.

Ce distributeur offre plusieurs avantages : une réduction significative des emballages plastiques, la possibilité pour les clients de doser précisément la quantité souhaitée, et une interaction moderne grâce à une interface utilisateur intuitive. Ce système pourrait également permettre à Purina de renforcer son image de marque en tant qu'entreprise engagée dans la transition écologique.

En parallèle, cette initiative soulève des défis, notamment la gestion logistique et l'hygiène. Cependant, elle reflète une tendance de fond sur le marché : les consommateurs cherchent des produits alliant praticité, qualité, et respect de l’environnement.

Ce test pourrait marquer un tournant pour le secteur du petfood. Si cette expérimentation s’avère concluante, elle pourrait être étendue à d'autres régions et inspire de nouvelles pratiques pour répondre aux ...

5.1 European legislation on the marketing of pet food

Directive ****/**/CEhttps://www.businesscoot.com/backend/study/***/**/edit#study_component_form_translations_de_fields

European Directive ****/**/EC defines animal feed as "products of plant or animal origin in their natural state, fresh or preserved, and products derived from their industrial processing, as well as organic or inorganic substances, alone or in mixtures, with or without additives, which are intended for oral animal feeding. products of their industrial processing, as well as organic or inorganic substances, alone or in mixtures, with or without additives, which are intended for oral animal feeding."

This Directive also establishes a list of undesirable substances and a maximum content limit for each of them. For example:

Fluorine content must not exceed *** mg/kg of feed materials; Lead content must not exceed ** mg/kg of feed materials; Mercury content must not exceed *.* mg/kg of feed materials.

Regulation ***/****/EC

European Regulation n°***/**** of July **, ****, amended and consolidated in ****, **** and ****, concerns the marketing and use of animal feed. It lays down the following rules for labeling and packaging:

Labeling and packaging must not mislead the user as to the characteristics of the feed, its nature, production method, composition or effects on animal health; Information must appear legibly and be ...

5.2 The European Federation of the Pet Food Industry (FEDIAF)

This federation, which operates at European level, has also drawn up a set of standards for its members, grouped into two main texts:

Code of Good Labeling Practice, available here Code of good practice on product safety, consultable here

The Federation has also compiled an exhaustive list of all reference texts under European law applicable or relevant to pet food. [***]

6.1 Segmentation

• C&D Foods France
• Affinity Petcare France
• United Petfood Producers
• Pepette
• Ultra Premium Direct
• Botanic
• Mars Petcare Monde
• Royal Canin (Mars Petcare)
• Maxi Zoo France (groupe Fressnapf)
• Mondou
• Tomojo
• Zoomalia
• Wanimo (Dôme Pharma)
• Croquetteland
• Vetostore, Le Bien Etre des Animaux
• Animaux Market
• La Compagnie des Animaux
• Bitiba France (Zooplus)
• Zooplus France
• Hill's Pet Nutrition
• Affinity Petcare
• Normandise Pet Food
• Japhy
• Tails.com (Nestlé Purina)
• Nestlé Purina Petcare
• FreshPet
• Reglo Pet Food
• Edgar Cooper
• Sopral
• Médor et Cie
• L’Animalerie - Do&Ka
• Alphia
• Huddle Corp
• ATM Petfood
• Hope Pet Food
• Natura Plus Ultra
• Canichef & Felichef