Focus On Petcare: 23 September

By Matt Chittock matt.chittocknew@googlemail.com

Publishing: 23 September 2023

Advertising deadline: 8 September 2023

Submissions deadline: 1 September 2023

What’s the deal with all the investment in petcare? In spite of the inflationary pressures faced by businesses and consumers alike, there’s still a lot of investor interest in petfood challengers. What’s so appealing about them – and how much money are they attracting? How are big brands responding?

Investment: Whether their petfood is regular, raw or plant-based, smaller players in the category have been attracting a lot of interest from investors – even as the cost-of-living crisis rages. Who’s bagging the cash? How come? What are they doing with the money? Where are they listed? Who’s investing? Which brands might be next for investment? And how long before this investment bubble bursts?

M&A: While brands are winning investment, there seem to be fewer mergers & acquisitions in the category – particularly when compared to before the pandemic. How accurate is that view? What M&A deals have been made in the past year? What amounts have been involved? Which businesses could be next for acquisition – and why?

Big brands: As smaller, more agile petfood businesses attract interest from investors and, indeed, shoppers, how are the category’s powerhouses responding? Which big brands are making the most eye-catching moves? And who’s dragging their feet?

Innovations: We will profile four new products or ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each.

Pricing: Shelf prices of petfood in grocery were up almost 58% year-on-year in some instances, The Grocer reported in early July. What were the leading drivers of this price inflation – and how different is the pricing picture now? What are suppliers doing to avoid further price increases?