At Petfood Forum, GfK’s Lange to Share Latest Sales Trends from Over 11,000 Pet Retail Outlets

NEW YORK

“Human-grade” dinners, freeze-dried coated kibbles, and holiday-themed treats – a host of products are vying to be the “next big thing” in the pet marketplace. But which are the real contenders, and which may be losing momentum at the register?

Drawing on a unique point-of-sale (POS) database representing over 11,000 pet specialty retail outlets – from superstores to neighborhood shops – GfK’s Maria Lange will explore the latest trends in pet products in a featured presentation tomorrow at Petfood Forum in Kansas City.

Lange (Senior Product Manager, Retail and Technology) will answer such questions as

• Are there still big opportunities for growth in the “natural” category?
• Are grain-free SKUs still selling at last year’s impressive pace?
• Are consumers embracing raw and refrigerated items, despite high costs and hygiene concerns?
• What are the pros and cons of today’s freeze-dried items?

Lange will present at 1:30PM on Tuesday in the “Marketing/New Product Development” track. Petfood Forum is taking place April 27 to 29 at the Kansas City, MO Convention Center.

Lange is a frequent commentator on the pet industry and a columnist for Pet Business magazine. At GfK, she works with major pet industry clients, including leading manufacturers and retailers, to help them understand and leverage the latest sales trends. GfK’s unmatched purchase database represents over 11,000 pet stores and about 27,000 veterinarian clinics nationwide; and GfK’s Retail and Technology team possesses unmatched expertise in the pet space.

Read Lange’s latest column on the pet marketplace.

About GfK

GfK is one of the world’s leading research companies, with around 13,000 experts working to discover new insights into the way people live, think and shop, in over 100 markets, every day. GfK is constantly innovating and using the latest technologies and the smartest methodologies to give its clients the clearest understanding of the most important people in the world: their customers. In 2012, GfK’s sales amounted to €1.51 billion.

To find out more, visit www.gfk.com/us or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK_en

GfK
David Stanton
VP, Marketing
Communications
+1 908 875 9844
david.stanton@gfk.com