2025
9
UK Pet Retailing Market Report 2025
2025-10-16T16:03:10+00:00
REP26D3AE6C_35AB_40EE_9EA8_32DE8BACB4DA
2195
187730
[{"name":"Pets","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/pets"},{"name":"Market Intelligence Reports","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/report-type\/market-intelligence-reports"},{"name":"UK","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/markets\/uk-market-research"}]
Report
en_GB
Pet owners are prioritising their pets, with 61% even placing their pets' needs above their own. Pet owners are also keen to reflect personal interests and preferences in purchases for…
UK
Pets
simple

UK Pet Retailing Market Report 2025

"Pets are increasingly considered cherished family members, and pet owners are willing to go above and beyond to ensure their wellbeing."

Sam Nguyen - Senior Retail Analyst

Sam Nguyen - Senior Retail Analyst

UK Pet Retail Industry – Trends and Insights

  • 61% of pet owners prioritise their pets’ needs above their own, showcasing the deep emotional bond and commitment they have toward their furry companions.
  • Pet owners increasingly seek products that reflect their personal interests and preferences, leading to a crossover of trends from the human market into the pet industry.
  • Rising costs of pet care, particularly services, are causing owners to cut back on spending, with some even delaying essential pet healthcare. This financial burden is further exacerbated by the shift back to office work, which also discourages potential pet ownership.
  • The growing emphasis on holistic health opens doors for brands to create products and services that cater to both pets and their owners, bridging the gap between human and pet wellness.
  • Caring for pets not only enhances the pets’ quality of life but also positively impacts the mental and emotional wellbeing of their owners, highlighting the reciprocal benefits of pet ownership.

Key Issues Covered in the Report

  • The size of the pet retailing market within the UK and key opportunities in the market
  • Top priorities for pets, including the role of health and wellbeing
  • What pet products and services are bought, along with how and where they are bought
  • The influence of social media on buying behaviours
  • Pet spending behaviours, including the opportunities for premiumisation and continuation of savvy shopping
Report AttributesDetails
Published DateOctober 2025
Data Range2019-2030
Measurement MetricsRevenue in £
Country FocusUnited Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data1,225 internet users aged 16+ who own a pet, May 2025
Number of Pages52
Leading Retailers in the UK Pet CategoryPets at Home, Butternut Box, Vets for Pets, Jollyes – The Pet People, Tails.com, Pets Corner, Pure Pet Food, KatKin, Lily’s Kitchen
Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for the pet retailing market
    • Opportunities for the pet retailing market
    • Leverage the close tie between pets and their owners
    • Extend the impact of social media beyond the online space
    • Infuse fun elements in-store
  2. THE MARKET

    • Snapshot – market size and forecast
    • Consumers and the economic outlook
    • Pet ownership ticks up
    • Graph 1: pet ownership, 2024 and 2025
    • Late amendment to Renters Rights Bill could boost pet ownership
    • Pet services remain highly inflated
    • Graph 2: CPIH, pet product and service inflation rates, 2022-2025
    • Incremental growth is expected
    • Value sales to grow by 14% between 2025 and 2030
    • Graph 3: consumer spending on pet products and services (including VAT), 2019-30
    • Product spending remains dominant, yet services are gaining momentum
    • Graph 4: pet products and services market segmentation, 2019-25
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Priorities for pets
    • Health is the top priority
    • The focus on health is in part driven by humanisation
    • Graph 5: agreement with “I try to reflect my personal preferences when buying pet products (eg matching outfits, plant-based food)”, by age , 2025
    • Pet’s health contributes to human wellbeing
    • Leverage technologies to add ease to pet-related tasks
    • Purchases of pet products and services
    • Pet product buying activity is far higher than that of services
    • Graph 6: pet services paid for in the last 12 months, 2025
    • Graph 7: pet products purchased in the last 12 months, 2025
    • Pet food is the most popular product purchase
    • Graph 8: repertoire of pet products bought in the past 12 months, by household income, 2025
    • Health services are the most important
    • Graph 9: pet services paid for in the last 12 months, by household income, 2025
    • Channels used for buying pet products
    • Purchases are evenly spread out across channels
    • Online is a key channel for premiumisation
    • Graph 10: channels used to purchase pet products in the past 12 months, by household income, 2025
    • Subscription services serve as a growth driver
    • Providers used for pet products and services
    • The choice of retailers varies based on the type of pet owned
    • Graph 11: retailers used for pet products – NET, by pet ownership, 2025
    • Pet specialists are patronised by younger shoppers
    • Graph 12: retailers used for pet products, by age and household income, 2025
    • Vets are trusted for pet services
    • Graph 13: providers used for pet services, 2025
    • Social media influence
    • Social media shapes buying habits
    • Social commerce gains ground as a sales avenue
    • Leverage pet influencers
    • Graph 14: social media behaviours in the last 12 months and future interests, 2025
    • Pet spending behaviours
    • Spending on pets is prioritised
    • Pet owners seek various opportunities to pamper their pets
    • Graph 15: behaviours in the last 12 months and future interests, 2025
    • Embracing diverse gifting formats
    • But savvy shopping remains a key feature of spending habits
    • Graph 16: behaviours in the last 12 months and future interests, 2025
  4. RETAILER ACTIVITY

    • Food subscription services spearhead growth…
    • Graph 17: leading pet retailers, growth in spend and customer numbers, 2023/25
    • … as they ramp up advertising efforts…
    • … and increasingly make way into physical retail
    • Integrating health and wellness into bricks-and-mortar experiences
    • Competitive pricing remains a key focus
    • The pet space becomes increasingly crowded
    • Petco debuts products for pet owners
    • Opportunities for trade-in and recycling initiatives
  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope and definitions
    • The market
    • Forecast methodology
    • Forecast methodology – fan chart
    • Market size and forecast: underlying data
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals (value)
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Supplementary data
    • Adspend nearly doubled in 2024
    • Graph 18: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food and care, 2021-25
    • Butternut Box significantly increases adspend
    • More budgets shifted to TV in the first half of 2025
    • Graph 19: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pet food & care, by media type, 2023 -25
    • Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
    • Snoop SpendMapper methodology
    • Abbreviations and terms

Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel

The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:

  • Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
  • Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
  • Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
  • Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.

What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?

Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.

The Four Pillars of Our Research

We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:

  • Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
  • Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
  • Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
  • Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.

Bringing It All Together

Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.

Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.

£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
  • Download today with instant access
  • Multiple formats provided
  • Interactive databook included
  • Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more

Trusted by global industry leaders

Abacus logo

There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.

However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.

Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
Amazon logo

Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.

Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.

Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Mediacom logo

Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.

It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.

Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
Deutsch logo

One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.

We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.

We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.

Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
Wincanton logo

When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.

They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.

So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.

Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more