This growing culture of pets as family members is responsible for the increasing market for pet care. Currently worth around £3.6bn, (AC Nieslen data provided by Masterfoods, 52 w/e 16 April 2005), the market is broadly split into three distinct areas: pet foods, treats and accessories; veterinary bills and kennelling costs; and insurance.
The key area as yet not exploited by the main Supermarkets is Veterinary services. The trends suggest that there is greater “recession resistance” in pet related areas and therefore investment at the current times will still pay dividends in gaining and retaining client base.
Both independent and group veterinary practices would do well to consider this invasion of what would previously have been regarded as a protected domain. It is likely that, when the big players set their sights on a lucrative area that they will present a high grade offering. In response, Veterinary practices can improve their presentations by paying attention to such things as their customer experience and presenting their saleable items in the best possible way.
Ken Rand Partners have 34 years of experience with working with Pharmacy, Retail, Healthcare, Commercial and Education sectors to enhance presentation and improve potential sales. Their services can be viewed on www.kenrand.co.uk and a wide range of furniture and fittings onwww.kenrandfurniture.co.uk/consultation/7