Event Dates: October 22 to 25, 2014

Event Location: Lake Louise, AB

Event Description: The prestigious Summit for Urban Animal Strategies is held each October just before CanWest (ABVMA Vet Conference), in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. One Hundred Executive Level Thought Leaders are selected by their peers to represent each sector of the Urban Animal Industry.

Speaker: Svetlana Uduslivaia – Senior Research Analyst

Presentation Title: Pet care retail: current state, challenges and future opportunities for growth

Presentation Summary: Overall, pet care retail marketplace remains dynamic and shows positive growth globally. However, while many emerging markets are seeing significant expansion in consumer spending, developed countries are demonstrating a slowdown in pace of growth. Economic woes, market saturation, sluggish pet ownership growth due to ageing population and urbanization, and shifts in pet type preferences create an increasingly challenging environment for the industry across North America and Western Europe.

Euromonitor presentation will review key trends and developments in pet care retail globally and North America (US and Canada) in particular. The presentation will address product development trends across foods and pet care categories, including products with natural positioning, grain free, and those featuring novelty proteins.  Additionally, the presentation will discuss current retail environment, including the dynamic between specialized pet shops/pet superstores and mass market channels. How is the premiumisation trend playing out in North America across pet food products and across retail channels in 2013 and 2014? Is fast-expanding Dollarama in Canada a serious contender for share of wallet among extreme bargain shoppers? What is the place of raw and fresh/frozen pet food in the current marketplace? These are some of the topics that will be spotlighted as “food for thought” for the industry participants to consider as they navigate through increasingly complex world of changing consumer demands and preferences.

Last but not least, Euromonitor presentation will discuss pet care retail forecast for the coming five years, looking at fast growing vs weak regions globally, threats to future growth as well as opportunities. Future dynamic in pet ownership in US and Canada will be addressed as one of the key metrics behind the expected retail performance across pet care products.

Event Website: www.urbananimal.com 

On Twitter: #2014SUAS