The increase in pet ownership across the country has seen increased sales in most pet food sectors, with dog food experiencing five per cent growth to reach $2.6 billion.
Data provided by market research provider, Euromonitor International, identified a shift towards more premium products, evident through 10 per cent growth in premium wet dog food and seven per cent growth in cat treats.
The strongest performing sub-categories within the cat category in 2021 were cat treats and mixers, premium wet cat food and premium dry cat food, with these being the main drivers for growth across the category, which is now valued at $1.3 billion.
With e-commerce booming during the various lockdowns, this led to major players enhancing and providing additional benefits for consumers shopping in-store.
One such example is Coles, which introduced a self-serve ‘doggy treat bar’ in which consumers can pick-and-mix dog treats such as biscuits, bones, kangaroo tails, and chicken bites.
Coles also launched a phantom label, Woofin’ Good, with 35 exclusive products in the range to help compete with premium dog food products at an affordable price point.
The ‘other’ category has seen a slight drop in sales overall, mainly due to the fact 2020 sales were impacted by the stockpiling of food during the pandemic, but a one per cent rise in fish food sales was reported.
Mars Australia continues to dominate the dog, cat, and other categories with a company vale share of 26, 31 and 18 per cent respectively.