On the rise: pet market registers greater than 18,300 new companies within the first half

The pet market remains heated and promising in Brazil. Despite a slight drop when compared to the figures for the first half of 2021, the sector recorded a volume of new business in the first half of this year that is 33% higher than in the first six months of 2019, before the arrival of the pandemic, when they were 13,737 companies were opened. According to a survey carried out by Sebrae based on data from the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE), the first half of 2022 accounted for 18,278 companies opened in activities aimed at the retail trade of live animals and articles and food for pets, hygiene, accommodation, beautification and retail sale of veterinary drugs.

The first half of 2021 saw the opening of 19,432 companies, approximately 6% more than the same period this year. For the president of Sebrae, Carlos Melles, this slight drop reflects an accommodation in the sector, which suffered a significant boost in the period of the pandemic. “The pet market was one of the segments that showed strong growth during social isolation, when many people adopted pets as a way to overcome loneliness. The trend, despite the small decline in the number of new companies opened, is for Brazilians to continue consuming this nature of products and services a lot, keeping the segment warm”, comments Melles.

Individual microentrepreneurs (MEI) are the majority among the new businesses created in the first half of this year and account for no less than 85% of these ventures. There were 15,500 MEI against 3,300 micro and small companies opened from January to June 2022. The predominance of individual microentrepreneurs maintains a behavior already identified by Sebrae in previous years. “The MEIs were largely responsible for the growth in the number of small businesses linked to the commercialization of products and services aimed at domestic animals in the last 10 years”, argues Carlos Melles.

main numbers

Small business in the pet market:

· 1st week 2022: 18,278

· 1st week 2021: 19,432

· 1st week 2020: 13,408

· 1st semester 2019: 13,737

Sectors analyzed

• Hygiene and beautification of domestic animals;

• Housing, hygiene and beautification of animals;

• Retail trade of veterinary drugs.

Businesses opened by size in the first semesters

2022

• MEI – 15,484

• MPE – 2,794

2021

• MEI – 16,402

• MPE – 3,030

2020

• MEI – 11,230

• MPE – 2,178

2019

• MEI – 10,888

• MPE – 2,849

Source: Agência Sebrae