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- On a leash by the senses: retailers have found a source of sales growth in pet supplies
On a leash by the senses: retailers have found a source of sales growth in pet supplies
Demand for pet products is growing amid declining interest in many other non-food categories, Izvestia has learned. In January – June 2026, sales of pet stores increased by 5-8% year—on—year, while in household appliances and electronics stores they decreased by 10-25%, children's goods - by 8-14%, clothing and footwear - by 4-6%, CMWP estimated. For retailers, pet supplies are becoming one of the few growth points in the non-food market, and their production attracts more and more large companies. Why people reduce purchases even of goods for children, but do not save on pets — in the Izvestia article.
How sales in non-food retail have changed
According to the results of January – June 2026, comparable sales of goods in specialized pet stores increased by an average of 5-8% compared to the same period last year, Zulfiya Shilyaeva, senior director and head of the retail real estate department at CMWP consulting company, told Izvestia. At Zoomarket (part of the Lenta Group) This figure has increased by 37% year-on-year in six months, his representative said. Zoosaurus (owned by Detsky Mir Group of Companies) refrained from commenting. Four Paws and Wet Nose did not respond to inquiries from Izvestia.
The zoological inventory is growing against the background of declining demand in many other non-food categories. According to CMWP estimates, comparable sales at home appliance and electronics stores (excluding online) decreased by 10-25% over the same period, children's stores — by 8-14%, clothing and footwear — by 4-6%, and in the beauty and health category — by 2-5%.
The different dynamics of sales of products for pets and children may be particularly surprising, but experts explain it by the specifics of the categories. Pet supplies have an advantage over a number of children's products: food and care products require regular purchases, while updating clothes, toys or accessories can be postponed or replaced with cheaper goods, Zulfiya Shilyaeva noted.
For example, the retail market is actively developing, where these products are 30-35% cheaper than in stores. According to Avito, in June, sales of second-hand clothing for girls increased by 25% year—on-year, and for boys by 28%. The demographic situation also affects the children's segment, as a decrease in the birth rate reduces the potential audience, the expert said.
But the number of pets among Russians is only growing, and this contributes to the development of pet stores, says Kirill Dmitriev, president of the National Association of the Pet Industry (NAZ). By the end of 2025, more than 61 million pets lived in urban areas, which is a third more than in 2018, according to data from the Romir research company. According to her calculations, about 85% of Russian families have at least one cat or dog.
According to NAZ estimates, about 80 million pets currently live in all Russian households, of which about 50 million are cats and more than 25 million are dogs. But since there is no unified state accounting system, the exact number of pets cannot be estimated, Kirill Dmitriev noted.
At the same time, the pet is increasingly perceived as a family member or companion, the interlocutor noted. According to him, it also has a social significance — a pet helps to cope with stress and reduce anxiety. For example, a sharp increase in the number of pets was observed during the coronavirus pandemic, the expert recalled. As a result, according to Dmitriev, part of the cost of the animal becomes a regular responsibility against the background of a more responsible attitude of the owner. And the owners themselves transfer their own consumer habits to their animals, trying to pamper them with "goodies" and prolong their lives with the help of premium veterinary medicines and dietary supplements, the Zoomarket representative added.
However, the interest in pet products is due to a change in the perception of this category by retailers themselves, says Nikolay Bespalov, executive director of RNC Pharma. According to him, this market was previously assessed by large retailers as "something quite specific and relatively niche." Now it turned out that this is a fully fledged business with a "huge range", including premium, the expert said.
The attractiveness of the category for retailers is also linked to the wide range of opportunities to expand the range, says Stanislav Bogdanov, Chairman of ACORT. According to his estimates, large grocery chains, depending on the format, have from 30 to more than 2 thousand products for animals, and in specialized retail — tens of thousands of items.
Why do large companies go into the pet business
By the end of 2025, the volume of the pet supplies market in monetary terms amounted to 590 billion rubles, which is 15.8% more than a year earlier, the Zooinform portal estimates. About 83% of the turnover is accounted for by feed, with the largest category — for cats — forming about 59% of the total market. However, most of last year's growth in monetary terms was due to higher prices, rather than the expansion of the consumer base, Nielsen analysts say.
About 94% of pet owners regularly buy ready-made food, according to Romir data. This product is purchased with a high frequency of repeat purchases, and the demand for it remains predictable, said a top manager of a large retail chain.
In January – June, Russian enterprises produced 902.9 thousand tons of pet food, which is 10.8% more than in the same period a year earlier, RNC Pharma estimated. The production of wet feed increased by 16.5%, and dry feed by 6.5%. RNC Pharma associates this dynamic with the development of the production of contract production of its own brands of retailers. Since the beginning of this year, Zoomarket has added 80 new items, including dry and wet food for cats and dogs, treats and toys, a company representative said. At the same time, according to him, natural sales of cat food increased the most (+60% year-on-year).
According to the OFD Platform, in June –July 2026, cat owners became more cautious about making unnecessary purchases amid rising prices for basic goods. The average receipt for food and treats increased by 7% (to 232 rubles), and the number of purchases increased by 3%. At the same time, demand for toys decreased by 15%, houses — by 10%, and accessories — by 6%. At the same time, owners continued to spend on care and comfort products: the number of purchases of scratchers and massagers increased by 15%, shampoos — by 1%.
After 2022, the market is experiencing processes related either to the departure of some foreign manufacturers, or to major changes in the format of doing business with such companies, recalls Nikolai Bespalov. This, in his opinion, is successfully used by domestic manufacturers.
In particular, the Pavlovskaya agrofirm (part of Russian Field) launched the production of dry dog food this year, investing about 800 million rubles in the project. And Damate, the largest turkey producer, plans to produce cat and dog food under the Indylight Pets brand. The same plans were announced by the producer of aquaculture feed RusModus-Feed, which is going to launch the production of dry and wet diets for cats and dogs. Igor Zhuravlev, the owner of Kofemania, also intends to develop his own feed brand together with his daughter Maria — they founded the Happy Tails company in June, the industry publication Shopper's reported.
At the same time, Miratorg has been developing this area since 2019, and Talina Group of Companies also launched the production of dry food in 2024. By the end of 2027, Four Paws is preparing to put into operation its own wet food plant worth 2.2 billion rubles.
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