How to profit from pampered pets beyond the pandemic

Covid-19 has greatly boosted ownership. But the market had been expanding for years, and demographic, cultural and medical trends all point to long-term growth. Matthew Partridge reports

Some dogs
With self-warming blankets and activity-monitors resembling Fitbits, pets have never been so lavishly cared for
(Image credit: © Getty Images)

As soon as lockdown began in early 2020, millions of people worldwide decided to invest in a furry friend to replace the humans they were banned from seeing. Giles Money of Sarasin & Partners notes that in 2020 the percentage of US households with a pet jumped from 52% to 56%. However, the surge in pet ownership induced by the pandemic merely reinforced a long-standing trend.

Even with most restrictions now over, the market should continue to expand for years. Longer life expectancy, demographic and cultural changes, and our growing tendency to treat pets as little humans should all ensure that the global pet industry will continue to expand by around 8%-9% a year.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri