Sao Paulo (AFP)

Sales of pet food and accessories have risen sharply in Brazil since the start of the pandemic, as have adoptions of abandoned dogs, in a sector that had already been booming for several years.

The year 2020 exceeded all expectations, with a 13.5% increase in turnover compared to 2019, according to the Pet Brasil Institute, author of research on this very buoyant market in a country with more than dogs than children.

Sales of pet food and accessories have increased 87% over the past five years, according to market research firm Euromonitor International.

And professionals in the sector are once again expecting growth of over 80% for the next five years.

"The year 2020 has been difficult for all sectors of activity, but our results, with this very significant growth, show how resilient the pet market is", explains to AFP Sergio Zimerman, boss of Petz, the largest chain of specialty stores in Brazil.

His company has bet on online sales and saw its turnover jump 46.6% last year compared to 2020, to 1.7 billion reais (around 254 million euros).

Another determining factor: stores selling articles intended for pets are part of the services considered "essential" in Brazil, just like pharmacies or supermarkets.

They therefore escaped the many shutdowns imposed on other commercial activities in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 375,000 in the country.

"As people spend more time at home, they take more care of their pets," adds Nelo Marraccini, of the Pet Brasil Institute.

Sales of dog toys have "skyrocketed" in particular, as well as hygiene products, with animals now being groomed at home, explains Sergio Zimerman.

- Four times more adoptions -

The expansion of this market is also directly linked to the sharp increase in adoptions of abandoned animals at the start of the pandemic.

"In March 2020, we recorded a 300% increase in adoptions, with an average of 15 per day," says Marina Inserra, who runs an animal shelter in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest metropolis.

Bruno Soares, a 36-year-old computer technician, took the plunge in July, adopting a dog to keep him company in his small 45m2 apartment.

"I spent a lot of time at home and I felt lonely," he confides, delighted to have Max by his side, even if his new companion sometimes gives him a hard time.

One day, this little white bastard weighing six kilos devoured one of his shoes.

Nubank online banking saw a 73.1% increase in customers spending on pet items in 2020 compared to 2019.

But the economic crisis has also caused an increase in dropouts.

"When a person no longer has enough to eat or pay the rent, the animal is also on the street", deplores Marina Inserra.

According to her, the adoption boom has eased over the months, although the average remains slightly higher than before the pandemic.

Brazil is already the world's second largest dog food market, after the United States.

According to the Pet Brasil Institute, the country had no less than 54.2 million dogs in 2018, out of a total of nearly 140 million pets, including cats, birds, fish, reptiles and small mammals. .

Sergio Zimerman is not worried that consumption will drop after the pandemic.

He even believes that other pet-related activities could benefit, such as kennels, when people start traveling more frequently.

© 2021 AFP