Abstract
Pet product marketers ignoring the natural supermarket channel do so at their
own peril. For several years the leading natural supermarket chains have been
outperforming mainstream grocers as consumers embrace natural and organic
products of all kinds. What' s more, as disastrous as the spring 2007 pet food
recalls were for many pet owners and pet food industry participants, the
product safety scare had a strong beneficial effect in the natural supermarket
channel. Natural supermarket sales of pet products rose 18% in the first week
of April vs. the last week of March 2007, with sales surging by 22% during
full-year 2007.
This all-new "channel close-up" report from Packaged Facts homes in on the
fast-growing pet departments of natural supermarkets, providing detailed
SPINSscan-based data for the channel overall as well as seven product
categories of natural and organic products-Dog Food, Cat Food, Pet Treats &
Snacks, Pet Supplies, Pet Supplements, Pet Personal & Body Care and Other Pet
Food-for three full years (2005-2007) and for the 52-week period ending March
22, 2008. The report also quantifies and profiles leading brands in the
natural supermarket channel, with a particular focus on the top five: Pet
Promise (Natural Pet Nutrition), PetGuard, Newman' s Own Organics, Wellness
(Old Mother Hubbard) and Castor & Pollux.
Also examined in much detail are the top two natural supermarket chains-Whole
Foods and Trader Joe' s-including original photographs of these stores' pet
departments based on field visits to stores by Packaged Facts. In addition,
using Simmons Market Research Bureau' s Spring 2008 Study of Media and Markets,
and BIGresearch' s February 2008 Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey and
Simultaneous Media Study, Packaged Facts profiles pet owners as natural
supermarket and organic product shoppers. Rounding out this report' s cutting
edge examination of the natural supermarket channel' s explosive growth as a
pet product sales venue are primary interviews with industry experts, regular
participation in pet industry trade events, and extensive Internet canvassing.
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