Lily's Kitchen begins business with strong start

New UK organic and holistic petfood company Lily's Kitchen has gotten off to a strong start with the turnover already exceeding company expectations and listings secured with major retailers including Harrods, Whole Foods Market and over 350 independent vets and organic food outlets, according to Fresh Business Thinking.

UK sees increased gourmet, seasonal sales

UK petfood manufacturers reported an increase in demand for their gourmet food ranges as well as seeing a seasonal surge in purchases of special snack treats for animals, according to Financial Times.
“The number of people buying products such as our gourmet cat food … increases by 13-16% during December and January,” said Andrew Harding, director of market development at Nestlé Purina.
The demand for seasonal novelty items extends to pet owners with some pet stores reporting a 30-50% increase in sales during the holidays.

UK premium petfood market could slow in 2009

The value of the UK petfood market increased 7% last year to just under £2 billion (US$3 billion), according to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association’s annual report.
The PFMA said that there had been a marked increase in sales of petfood through specialist shops in the past year, particularly for complete dog and cat feeds.
However, it also said that the current economic situation could slow the growth of the premium food market in the year ahead.
Premium foods seemed to hold up well in the cat and dog food market last year; sales fell in volume terms in the cat market, but grew in value terms by 6%. The dog food market grew 1% in volume terms, but 6% in value terms.