Waitrose issues message to shoppers who'll have dog or cat in house at Christmas

Waitrose says UK sales of seasonal dog and cat treats, toys and food are rocketing. Sales of Christmas pet lines up 964% year-on-year at Waitrose online as people spend more on pet care, the posh and upmarket supermarket giant has revealed.

Emma Clifford, associate director of food and drink research at Mintel, a market research company, says this can, in part, be put down to the trend of pet humanisation. “The ongoing ‘humanisation of pets’ means pets are increasingly seen as family members, and stress relievers – with many owners willing to spend more on their pets’ care,” she says.

Sales of Christmas pet lines are up 964% year-on-year at Waitrose online. At John Lewis, sales of seasonal themed dog toys have increased 98% compared with this time last year. “We’re known as a nation of pet lovers … nearly three-quarters (73%) of pet owners who use and buy household care products say that looking after their pet’s health is more important than keeping their homes clean,” she says.

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Nicki Hobbs, pet food and pet care buyer at Waitrose, said: “This Christmas, our customers are looking to share the love with their pets, embracing them as key members of family households. This is why we’re driving category growth this Christmas … giving customers the perfect way to pamper their pets.”

Lisa Cherry, Head of Buying for Christmas for John Lewis, said: “We’ve been surprised to see that customers are shopping earlier than ever this year. Sales are significantly up as customers can't wait to get their hands on some festive sparkle and we see they’re buying with confidence.

“Single baubles are selling like hot cakes and, appropriately, this year’s front runners - fondant fancies and Battenberg slices - wouldn’t be out of place in the bake-off tent. We expect the return of Never Knowingly Undersold to significantly boost trade over the Black Friday period as customers can be confident our prices will be tracked across competitors.”

Maddy Wilson, Director, Own brand, Waitrose, said: “We’re seeing a huge appetite for Christmas already with online slots filling up faster than ever before and customers stocking up early on our festive treats. Our fantastic Christmas range of over 500 products is in hot demand with volumes up 25 per cent up on this time last year.”