EKOpet wants to join in the U.S. market

São Paulo-EKOpet, hygiene products for pets (pets), will concentrate efforts to gain space in the United States this year. With that, the manufacturer of the Interbrilho group hopes to raise production, even with the internal market still weak.
"We believe that export to the US market will bring new business opportunities. For that, we launched an exclusive line for this market, the EKOpet, "says the President of the Interbrilho group, Henry Caran.
The performance of the group in the pet market is part of a business diversification strategy, since the Interbrilho has on the lines of the Rodabrill brand of products for the automotive market, important part of sales.
"Export for many years the products of our automotive lines, but the export of trademark pet started this year," he says.
The United States leads the ranking as the largest market for pet products, according to data from Euromonitor International Consulting. "With the humanization of pets reaching unprecedented levels, leading to a growing number of people to treat cats and dogs like children, the North American market accounted for 41% of the global expansion of the pet care segment between 2011 to 2016", as Euromonitor analysts stand out, in a report.
The increase in sales of products to watch out for pet in United States in analyzed period exceeds the set growth Latin America markets, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Africa and the Middle East, analysts say.
To ensure the entry into a market already consolidated, the EKOpet has invested in the development of products with essences Amazon features, says the Chairman of the group. "We use essences of Acai and cherry, believing that this differential will generate curiosity and stimulate customer demand out of Brazil".
In his assessment, the main challenge, in addition to the regulatory requirements, is to promote and attract the demand in a market in which the company has no history of expertise, different from the automotive sector, in which the export is consolidated.
"We are working with the prospect of supermarkets in the United States to sell our line of pet, because the markets offer these items is more reduced. In specialty stores, the mix is greater and less shelf space, "he adds.
Estimate
Henry Caran does not yet have a forecast for the volume of products that must be exported by the EKOpet this year. But, in the internal market, it is expected to expand to 10% in beer sales volume over 2017.
The pet care market registered a growth of 3.7% in the United States in 2016, totaled $ $14.88 billion. In Brazil, the increase stood at 8.1% in the period, accumulating $ $721,300,000 on the same basis of comparison, according to Euromonitor.
"North America accounts for more than half of the value of sales in this category [of pet products] with 56% of sales in 2016.", informs the Euromonitor.
Even with demand for products for pets still limited in emerging markets, when compared with the United States, Euromonitor analysts highlighted that demand in China and Brazil has grown rapidly.
From 2011 to 2016, sales in those two countries have recorded high of 31% and 33% in value respectively.