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Pet owners drive the growth of European pet care market
Image cat eating
Cat food represents more than half of all pet care sales across Europe.

A recent report shows pet food sales in 2013 boosted the European pet market to €8.5 billion

A recent report suggests pet owners helped to keep the European pet market afloat in 2013, despite the continuing recession.

The Pulse Report was launched during National Pet Month in the UK, and showed that last year's pet market was worth €8.5 billion, growing in value by 1.7 per cent across six key markets - France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and the UK.

The report, which is published by global market and shopper intelligence firm IRI, reveals trends and insights into popular retail categories across the UK and Europe.

According to IRI, this growth in value was driven by an increase in product price inflation and the availability of smaller sizes of premium branded products, rather than the volume of sales.

In consistency with previous years, cat food appears to be the trendsetter in pet care, representing more than half of all pet care sales across Europe in 2013. Cat owners in particular fuelled the market's success, with cat food delivering the fastest growth after pet accessories. This growth in cat food sales was driven by the availability of single-serving packs of wet and dry cat food, and especially of premium brands.

The report also showed that dog food increased its share in 2013, but at a slower pace, with sales of more than €3 billion driven by dog snacks and treats.

Paulo Garro, Director of Business Insights IRI, says:

"It's interesting that pet care appears to be an increasingly polarised category. Shoppers are trading down, with private labels growing across most European markets, offering a cheaper but acceptable alternative to premium brands during challenging economic times. But shoppers are unique in this market, and a dog owner may shop very differently to a cat owner, so manufacturers must continue to innovate and defend their brand equity."

According to the report, there was limited product innovation in 2013 compared to previous years, with the exception of the major brands developing premium tastes in small sizes, or new user friendly packages. "Oral care" snacks and treats continued to grow in importance.

The IRI Pulse Report for pet care can be viewed here.

 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.