Purina expanded its pet food portfolio in India by introducing its flagship brand Pro Plan in the super-premium pet food segment.
“We successfully launched Purina Supercoat in specialist channel earlier this year, and now we launch Pro Plan with the proposition of ‘nutrition that performs’ to target the super-premium segment,” said Varindra Sewak, managing director of Purina PetCare India, in a press release.
Purina and Mars in Indian pet food market
On January 29, Purina announced the creation of Purina Petcare India, a wholly-owned subsidiary, and introduced Supercoat dog food into the Indian market, according to The Hindu Business Line.
In October 2015, Mars Inc. subsidiary Mars International India launched its Eukanuba pet food line in India. In 2009, Pedigree, a dog food brand by Mars, was re-launched in India along with a range of snacks and treats.
Growth of the Indian pet food market
A growing middle- and upper-class population, increasing pet ownership, and increased awareness about pet health drive growth in India’s pet food market, according to Research and Markets' report "Pet Food Market in India 2017.” The report forecasts that the Indian pet food market may grow at a CAGR of 19.2 percent to reach INR43.5 trillion from its value of INR15.2 trillion in 2016. The dog food segment contributes the most to the pet food revenue compared to other pet foods such as cat and fish food. Mars’ Pedigree and Royal Canin are the most preferred brands among pet owners.
In 2017, premium dog food retail value sales grew in India, according to Euromonitor International’s report “Dog Food in India.” However growth was slower than 2016, mainly due to the underperformance of Royal Canin India which accounted for around three quarters of all premium dog food value sales. Royal Canin pet food is produced in France and imported into India, but due to a shortfall in raw materials during late 2016 and early 2017, there was a gap between supply and demand all over the world for its products during 2017.
