Marks & Spencer has launched a new own-brand pet food range as the retailer looks to capture a greater share of the UK’s pet food market and encourage customers to buy more of their weekly essentials in its stores.
The new Paws & Pals range includes 13 products across dog and cat food, including kibble, treats and toppers, and marks M&S’s move into the category under a dedicated own-brand pet food label.
The retailer says the expansion forms part of its wider strategy to become what it describes as a “shopping list retailer”, offering customers more of the products they routinely buy as part of their weekly shop.
Pet food represents a potentially significant opportunity. M&S says around 31% of UK households own a dog and 25% own a cat, while approximately half of the pet food market is accounted for by grocery retailers.
M&S has set an ambition to double its market share within the pet category.
Owners paying closer attention to ingredients
The launch also reflects changing attitudes towards pet food, with owners increasingly interested in what goes into the products they feed their animals.
Research carried out by M&S Food found that 60% of its customers are looking more closely at the ingredients in their pets’ food, with the retailer reporting growing demand for ingredient transparency and nutritional information.
According to M&S, the Paws & Pals products use “100% real ingredients” and feature high meat content and grain-free recipes, alongside added vitamins and minerals.
The recipes have been developed in-house by the M&S Food team, while existing Boost pet products have also been brought under the new Paws & Pals brand.
Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food, said the move into pet food was a natural extension of the retailer’s food business as it seeks to make it easier for customers to buy more of their regular groceries from M&S.
He added that the company had applied the same focus on quality used across its human food ranges to the development of its new pet products.
The Paws & Pals range is available in M&S Foodhalls from 25 August.
