Pets in Russia

History

2024: Increase in the number of animal care salons by 15% to 2.87 thousand establishments

On October 15, 2024, it became known about the increase in the number of grooming salons in large cities of Russia: the number of pet care establishments in 16 million-plus cities increased by 15% compared to October 2023, reaching 2.87 thousand.

According to Kommersant, referring to a study of the 2GIS service, over the past five years, the number of grooming salons in large cities of the country has doubled. The most noticeable growth over the past year was observed in St. Petersburg (39%), Rostov-on-Don (21%) and Moscow (15%).

Freepik

Experts attribute the increase in the number of grooming salons to the increase in the number of pets among Russians. According to the Center for the Study of Nutrition and Animal Welfare and Ipsos, in 2023 74.8 million Russian citizens had pets, and 56% of families had at least one cat or dog.

The head of the TopFranchise.ru, Viktor Bolshakov, noted that the demand for grooming franchises from small and medium-sized businesses in 2024 increased compared to 2023. Large chains such as Groom and Doggo are actively expanding their presence not only in Russia, but also abroad.

DNA Realty CEO Anton Belykh stressed that grooming salons often open in new residential complexes, where population density is high and animal care services are in demand within walking distance. Usually such salons occupy premises with an area of ​ ​ 30 to 70 square meters. m, and the monthly rent is from ₽100 thousand to ₽150 thousand.

Despite the overall growth of the market, some participants note a slowdown in revenue growth due to increasing competition.

Groom's revenue for January-September 2024 increased by 60% compared to the same period in 2023, but the growth rate is declining, says Evgenia Arbanova, head of marketing at Groom chain.

Amid rising competition and an increase in the cost of imported animal cosmetics, some chains are forced to raise prices. Thus, in the Doggo network, the cost of services in 2024 increased by 10%, and prices for premium foreign cosmetics increased by 30-40% due to the rise in logistics prices.^[1]

2023:11% increase in the number of pets to 74.8 million units

In the spring of 2024, the Center for Nutrition and Animal Welfare published the results of the fourth All-Russian Pet Census, conducted in 2023. The study showed a significant increase in the number of pets in Russia: the cat population increased by 25%, reaching 49.2 million, and the number of dogs increased by 7%, amounting to 25.5 million individuals.

According to TASS, the total number of pets in Russia reached 74.8 million, which is 11.3 million (11%) more than three years ago. This was facilitated by an increase in the number of households, which increased by 2.5% since 2020 to 66.9 million.

Freepik

The study revealed that 56% of Russian families have pets. In 30% of households there is only a cat, in 11% there is only a dog, and 16% of families are owners of both cats and dogs. In total, 68 million Russians over 14 years old are the owners of pets.

The largest increase in the pet population is observed in cities with a population of less than 500 thousand inhabitants, where 57% of families have pets. In cities with a population of one million, this figure is 46%, and in Moscow - 42%.

Russia retained the third place in the world in the number of cats and the fourth in the number of dogs. At the same time, the country remains "feline": there are twice as many cats as dogs. Two-thirds of domestic cats live in cities, the rest in rural areas. They are kept by 30.5 million families.

Among cats, 51% are females, and the proportion of pedigree pets has grown to 29% (three years ago it was 26%). The most popular breeds are the British Shorthair, Scottish Fold, Siamese, Main Kun and Siberian.

In terms of dogs, 61% of them live in urban areas and 39% live in rural areas. Dogs are kept by 17.8 million families. Among them, 53% are males. The most popular breeds are German Shepherd, Central Asian Shepherd, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier and Siberian Laika. The proportion of thoroughbred dogs increased from 54% in 2020 to 60% in 2023.^[2]

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