Pet Supplies Market Attracts Non-Traditional Marketers & Retailers.

The U.S. market for pet supplies has enjoyed nearly 20% growth since 2000, and that success is attracting the attention of companies and stores not normally associated with litter boxes, collars, flea powder, shampoo and the like.

According to The U.S. Market for Pet Supplies and Pet Care Products, a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, the pet supplies market reached $8.5 billion in 2004. Numerous signs point to continued good growth in sales of pet supplies for the foreseeable future, including continued retail expansion for the products in both traditional and nontraditional outlets; an ongoing surge of new premium products; and the industry’s success in playing up the human-animal bond to drive product sales.

Based on these trends, Packaged Facts projects that U.S. retail sales of pet supplies will exceed $11 billion by 2009.

“Everybody wants to get in the pet supplies act,” said Don Montuori, acquisitions editor of Packaged Facts. “One of the biggest market-altering forces is the entry of more global players into the field, most notably Rayovac/Spectrum Brands (which purchased United Pet Group and Tetra) and Sumitomo (which acquired Hartz). Add to that the availability of pet products in “alternative channel” retailers, such as T.J. Maxx, Home Depot, Ikea, and catalogs, such as Front Gate, Ballard Design, L.L. Bean, Land’s End, and, of course, the Internet.”

For more information at http://www.packagedfacts.com