This has been a fundamental trend for 20 years. The pet is more and more considered as a member of the family. The phenomenon was even accentuated in 2020 with the successive confinements linked to Covid-19. And, it’s well known: when you love, you don’t count, so inevitably you spend more.
The sinews of war are the croquettes. To realize this, all you have to do is meet one of these dog owners. At the microphone of RTL, Marion shows the Japhy website, which allows her to buy tailor-made croquettes. “I know he can’t stand meat too much, so I take fish and vegetable croquettes. I can change it whenever I want,” she insists. Every month, she logs on to the platform to update her dog’s “profile”, including “his weight and age”, explains the owner of Gus, a French bulldog.
The eight-kilo bag costs him 40 euros. This is three to four times more expensive than in supermarkets. The price for his dog to be healthy. “I chose a breed of dog that is prone to a lot of illness and that goes a lot through food. Sometimes the kibble in supermarkets will be too salty,” explains the young woman.
Matthieu Wincker, the boss of Ultra Premium direct, has positioned himself in the high-end kibble market since 2014. In recent years, the growth of his business has exploded. It even plans store openings in the coming months. Large investment funds, such as Eurazéo, even target the “pet food” market.
Booming pet tech
Apart from food, other sectors are progressing. To stay in Anglicisms, there is also “pet tech” which is on the rise. New technologies related to pets. Purina, from the Nestlé group, has launched a start-up incubator dedicated to dogs and cats. The brand even opened the fourth edition of its “Unleashed” program on Saturday October 1.
At the same time, other companies are launching connected litter boxes that analyze your cat’s urine or mutual funds for dogs.
Animal hotels and “Petflix”
Finally, the last part, that of services. We can already cite “Dogwash”, self-service dog wash stations. They are often installed in shopping center car parks. The company is experiencing double-digit growth and plans 60 new locations each year.
You also have hotels for animals, these are – very often – simple day care centers or for holidays. Nevertheless, in Courchevel, in the hotel La Sivolière your pooch may be entitled to a 5-star service, with a stuffed animal in the name of your pet, petits fours and even a fake bottle of champagne. Count around 4,000 euros per night in high season. Finally, there is a service that works very well in the United States, that of video on demand to occupy dogs and cats during the day. For this service, there is a perfect name… “Petflix”!
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