Petflation Update: 2015 – 2nd Quarter – Bad Start…Strong Finish!

We last looked at “Petflation” in April. That month produced another drop in Food & Supplies pricing which resulted in the second monthly decrease in the Total Pet Industry Prices since December.  In fact, for 3 of the first 4 months of 2015 the Total Pet CPI was below December 2014.

Then came May and June, which brought CPI increases in all segments. The Total Pet CPI went positive and stayed there. We also found a “hidden” pleasant surprise from the Supply Segment.

But first, let’s take a look at the specifics of what has happened since December.

CPI-Jun-15-1

SPECIFICS ON CPI CHANGES

Veterinary Services

  • April – Up ↑0.40%; May – Up ↑0.74%; June – Up ↑ 0.27%
  • Year To Date: Up ↑3.03%

NonVet Services

  • April – Up ↑0.42%; May – Up ↑0.32%; June – Up ↑ 0.33%
  • Year To Date: Up ↑1.66%

Pet Food

  • April – Down ↓-0.65%; May – Up↑0.37%; June- Up↑0.36%
  • Year To Date: Down ↓-0.59%

Pets & Pet Supplies

  • April- Down ↓-0.42%; May – Up ↑0.40%; June- Up ↑0.17%
  • Year To Date: Down ↓-0.52%

Total Pet

  • April- Down↓-0.27%; May- Up ↑0.45%; June- Up 0.34%
  • Year To Date: Up ↑0.68%

OBSERVATIONS

  • 3 of the first six months in 2015 produced drops in Food and Supplies prices.
  • The price changes in Food and Supplies have a similar pattern. However, Food is showing more volatility than Supplies
  • Average Supplies Prices are actually 4.3% higher than the same period in 2014.
  • Veterinary prices are increasing at a high rate.
  • The NonVet Service segment continues to increase in price but with some moderation.
  • The Total Pet Market Prices wasn’t positive for 2 months in row until the “across the board” increases in all segments in May and June.

Next, let’s take a look at the monthly history over the last 21 months to get a better feel for the rollercoaster ride in Food and Supplies as well as the striking rise in Veterinary prices. June of 2015 and June of 2014 are outlined so you can see the journey over the last 12 months.

CPI-Jun-15-2a

COMMENTS

The late Spring Months generally bring price increases in all segments. 2015 was no exception. Overall we are about 1.1% above the pricing of June 2014. Only Food is below the prices of a year ago. Since it is the largest segment, this is obviously a concern.

Now, let’s take a slightly different look at the data. The chart below includes a comparison of the 2015 YTD CPI to the 2014 annual CPI and also includes an initial projection of the annual CPI change for 2015. Take a look. You will find a surprise!

CPI-Jun-15-3

COMMENTS – BY INDUSTRY SEGMENT

Pets and Pet Supplies – December was the “high point” of 2014 Supplies prices. This is very unusual considering the pattern of recent years. The result is that although Supply Prices are down from December, the first six months are actually above the same period a year ago. Of course, they are still 4.2% below what they were in June 2009 – 6 years ago.

Here’s the big news! For the first time since I began tracking “Petflation” a year ago, Pet Supplies are projecting a CPI increase for the year…UP ↑0.43%. This may not seem like much. However, except for a miniscule increase of 0.05% in 2011, Supplies prices have been deflating consistently since 2009. The deflation came as a result of the commoditization of more and more product categories and put ever increasing pressure on manufacturers and retailers.

Believe me, this increase is not a “done deal”. Price drops traditionally occur in this segment in the July to September quarter, as well as in December.  Last year saw a precipitous drop in July and August (1.75%) but an unusual increase in December. It would take a combined drop of over 2% in these months to overcome expected increases in the Fall months …and deflate prices in 2015. We’ll just have to wait and see.

NonVet Services – The price increases in this segment have been moderating – in the range of 2-2.5% annually. Recently we have started to see slowed growth in purchases. The sales growth in this segment is coming from households with income over $120K. Price increases should slow in the second half producing an annual CPI increase of 1.99%

Veterinary Services – The Veterinary Petflation rate of over 3% is exceptionally high compared to the other segments. However, it has actually moderated in recent years. From 1999 to 2009 the average annual Veterinary price increase was 6.0%. The cumulative effect of these increases in conjunction with the recession was that 2011 and 2012 produced actual decreases in the amount of Veterinary Services sold and the annual adjusted growth rate since 2010 has slowed to 0.9%. Like the Service Segment, the growth is limited to high income households over $120K. Based upon recent years, prices should almost flatten out for the balance of 2015 producing an annual CPI increase of approximately 3.24%

Pet Food – This largest segment has become the biggest concern. Prices rose in December of 2014 but then came the huge price drop in January – the largest in 17 years. However, it goes beyond that. Retail pet food prices have actually been flat to trending down since March of 2013. In 2014 the annual Food CPI decreased 0.3% from 2013. The only other annual decrease in history occurred in 2010 as a result of the recession.

As of June, the Food segment has regained about ½ of the CPI that it lost in the first 4 months. However, it is still projected to be down ↓-0.2% for the year. Remember, the CPI numbers from the U.S. Government include both food and treats so deflation is a bit more complex than if it were food alone.

Last year there was a big drop in July while all the other second half months were up or stable in price. December is also a big “if” this year. Last year’s December increase was unusual. We really do have to “wait and see” until yearend on this segment.

Total Pet Market – Services, especially Veterinary, increase their upward spiral. There may be some moderation – at least in NonVet Services. The Supply segment is showing some positive trends for the first time since 2009. That leaves only Food to “turn around”. The projected increase in the Total Pet CPI for 2015 is 1.11%.

If Food prices can get back to the positive side and Veterinary price increases drop below 3.0% the result would be a truly healthy Total Pet Industry with an average CPI increase in the range of 1.3 to 1.5%.

One Last Chart – that compares our June numbers to recent history:

CPI-Jun-15-4

2013 and 2014 were a tough years from a pricing perspective. 2015 is shaping up to be a little better. There are some critical waypoints approaching. We’ll keep you up to date.

SuperZoo 2015 – How does it compare to 2014…and to GPE 2015?

SuperZoo 2015 will be here next week. Officially, there are 983 exhibitors. That’s up about 7% from 2014, but still about 100 less than GPE 2015. So about 1000 exhibitors participate in both shows, right? Well, actually…No! Just under 600 exhibitors participate in both shows.
• About 400 exhibitors at SZ 2015 didn’t participate at GPE 2015
• About 500 exhibitors at GPE 2015 aren’t participating at SZ 2015

That means that of 1500 total Pet Show exhibitors, 900 only participate in one of these key shows.
While both shows are important to companies committed to the U.S. Pet Market, they do have a slightly different focus. For example, SuperZoo has a higher percentage of independent retail attendees while GPE had over 3 times the number of exhibitors from outside the U.S.

Let’s do some comparisons. We’ll take a look at the exhibitor type and product mix and compare it to both SuperZoo 2014 and GPE 2015. Both shows have designated floor sections which pull together exhibitors with a common theme. Other than this segregation, neither show segregates the other booths in any way.
The chart below and the ones that follow show the exhibitor count, % of total booths and directly compare SZ 2015 to SZ 2014. In the comparison to GPE 2015 we only show the % difference.

SZComp1

Remember SZ 2015 grew about 7% in exhibitor count so any change in count below +7% is actually a decrease in share of exhibitors. Also GPE and SZ have 3 sections in common for direct comparison

  1. Natural – The segment continues strong growth in all shows. SuperZoo is leading the way.
  2. Rodeo Drive – SZ has almost 3 times as many “fashion” exhibitors as GPE but basically no growth over SZ 2014
  3. Groomers – This section, like the Services segment, is growing and is a major emphasis at SZ.
  4. New Vendors – At least in terms of New Vendor section, there is no growth.

A word of caution: Just because a section is smaller, doesn’t mean that there are fewer exhibitors offering products in this category. It can indicate that Companies have broadened their product listings and have opted to not be segregated by only a part of their portfolio.

Now let’s take a look at the classifications that I have made in conjunction with the Exhibitor Visit Planning Tool that I designed to make working these trade shows easier and more productive.

First We’ll Compare Exhibitor Type – By function: By Animal type

SZCompType

  1. Dogs and Cats are the pet “royalty” and increased in booth count but dropped slightly in “share” of booths as SuperZoo 2015 is showing more diversity..
  2. SZ 2015 improved its offerings in Fish, Bird, Small Animal and Equine over 2014 but is still significantly behind GPE in all but Equine. Reptile is slowing for both shows.
  3. Business Services is showing the biggest growth. The other “non-animal” segments are flat or down slightly versus 2014. SuperZoo still has significantly more of all these categories than GPE which reflects their focus on independent retailers.

Now let’s take a closer look at the “royalty” – Dogs and Cats. I have divided products designed for them into 32 subcategories. Here are this year’s top 10 for SZ 2015.

SZTop10

  1. The major difference between SZ 15 and SZ 14 is that Clothes/Costumes loss significant share and dropped from #6 to #7. Feeding accessories moved up to the #6 spot.
  2. In terms of share of booths, only Meds/Supp, Feeding Acc, Carriers and Grooming Tools actually gained.
  3. Vs GPE, the top 3 are the same. SuperZoo has a significantly greater amount of meds/supplements and Grooming Tools. Their wide lead in clothes/costumes has narrowed considerably.

The full list of the “searchable” categories for Dog/Cat products and a comparison between SZ 2015 and SZ 2014 as well as GPE 2015 follows. Take a look at the categories that are of interest to you.

I have color highlighted both positive and negative differences in “share” of booths when they exceed 10 or 20%. Note: The data input for all shows was derived from visits to over 1000 websites – per show. They’re not 100% accurate, but close.

Categories

Although this post is primarily about SZ 2015, both SZ and GPE are “must attend” in the industry.

Regardless of why you are attending the SZ 2015, having a productive show requires planning. It’s too big to just “wing it”. Go to the link below which will take you to my previous post. From there you can download a copy of my SuperZoo Super Search Exhibitor Visit Planner. It can’t hurt and it may help make your show more productive.

Link to SuperZoo SuperSearch Post