MustStocks 2021: Cat food

Catering for the nation’s army of cats has turned into an annual sales opportunity worth almost £69m to convenience operators, who enjoyed an 8.2% sales uplift this time around.

The top cat in this category is Felix, which accounts for about one-third of category value and continues to flourish with impulse sales growth of 12.6% and annual business worth £22.7m.

The runner-up brand, Whiskas, is also a significant player, generating £20.8m of impulse business. It grew at a faster rate than Felix, with a sales upturn of 13.8%.

This means the top two account for some £43m of annual sales between them so are both must-stock products.

Third-placed Dreamies rises two places on the back of a 19.1% sales surge – a performance that generated £4.6m of annual business for the brand.

Go Kat and Happy Shopper both lose ground in terms of sales growth this time around but remain significant names in this category, accounting for almost £9m of annual business between them.

Sixth-placed Sheba has generated strong momentum with a 15.9% rise to rack up £3m of impulse revenues during the year.

Seventh-placed Gourmet also had a successful year with sales growth of 21.6% to end the period with business worth £2m.

Webbox retains its position from last time around; although it lost ground in terms of sales, it remains a brand earning £1.2m for convenience retailers every year.

Ninth-ranked Purina One is the fastest riser, with an annual sales surge of 64.8% that pushes it into the top 10 for the first time.

If that rate of growth can be maintained, it could be set for even bigger things in next year’s chart.

Butcher’s is heading in the opposite direction, slipping one place from last year following a 10% sales downturn within the impulse sector.

Brand activity during the year included the unveiling by Mars Petcare of a core pet food range tailored to the convenience market, following data that showed 55% of pet owners have failed to purchase in the convenience channel due to lack of choice.

The “Dream Sixteen” range features a selection of ‘must-stock’ products from brands including Whiskas, Sheba and Dreamies.

It includes a 12-pack of Sheba Pouches price-marked at £4.75 and is supported with merchandising advice and planograms from Mars Petcare.

Mars also launched a category report – The Rising Power of Pets in Pandemic Britain – in September 2020 that found pet-owners spend 26% more on groceries than their non-pet-owning counterparts and these shoppers also buy from more categories in-store.

The company said convenience retailers in the UK have seen pet food sales grow by 3.1% over the latest 12-month period.