Traveling and Living with Pets in Russia!
When a tourist visits Russia, he sees a number of pet vendors selling kitten and puppies kept in baskets in and around the Metro stations. What they dont know is that these vendors are just amateur and they can actually find a place to deal with large professional group of pet dealers. So, in St. Petersburg, you need to reach Polyustrovskiy Market on Saturday and Sundays. You would find the market dramatically changing on these days. It turns into the "Ptichiy Rynok"or the bird market but donҒt go on the name. You can find here almost anything that you can think of related to pets and pets supplies. What is more despite the market being outdoors all through the winters, you can easily find pets that are more suited for warmer climate like tropical fish, parrots, turtles, canaries, Chihuahuas, and gerbils being sold here.
You would find it interesting to note that the market of pet food and pet care products is not that old. Just a decade ago, Russia was introduced to it. They were accustomed to feeding their pets with fresh meat or fish or other leftovers. One had the option of imported pet foods but it was costly and not many people had knowledge about the benefits of pet food.
Times have changed and one look at the variety of pet products present in the market could reveal easily the extent of its penetration. Pet owners have a variety of choices right from economy, mid price, premium, and super premium pet foods. Consumers are being bombarded with aggressive marketing including television and print media. Most Russians tend to read what the product labels says and as such you would find most of the products having labels containing detailed information about the products and also the website address where one can get further information.
Pedigree experts still dont recommend a diet of total manufactured pet food and as such pet owners in Russia still go for a mix of fresh meat, fish, and manufactured pet food. It goes without saying that the potential for pet food growth is undoubtedly very high in Russia. One interesting fact observed by distributors is that the volume of sales growth is far higher in provinces and suburbs as compared to bigger cities. This signifies that pet owners in rural regions are also opening up to pet food. This is also because of the availability of economy and lower end priced products.
The overall condition of the Russian economy has improved and that has resulted in increased purchasing power of citizens here. They are willing to spend money on non-essential items and that is what pet food manufacturers are exploiting. They are offering their consumers with a variety of products. Even though low priced pet food is still the most popular yet the high end products are also making good progress.
Thus, the market is witnessing a lot of activity and it is going to increase in the coming time. Most of the premium brands are planning launch of new products targeting more specific needs of the pets. The market is surely very exciting for any new entrant as well as all the old players. We can help with pet airlines that can help with your pet travel to Russia.