According to the Zhitong Finance APP, China Merchants Securities released a research report stating that the Asia Pet Expo 2025 was recently held in Shanghai, with the number of attendees reaching a new high, indicating strong growth in pet consumption. The pet food sector continues to thrive, with trends towards product refinement and functionality emerging. There is an increase in niche players in fresh food and prescription food segments, and marketing is diversifying with comprehensive communication and brand collaborations. New brands are increasing their marketing investments, leading to intensified industry competition, with a focus on changes in the rankings of the top 10 companies. Key recommendations include CHINA PET FOODS (002891.SZ) and GAMBOL PET (301498.SZ), while also paying attention to YUANFEI PET (001222.SZ) and Petpal Tech. (300673.SZ).
<h2>Key points from China Merchants Securities are as follows:</h2>
Products: Trends towards refinement and functionality are emerging, with an increase in niche players in fresh food and prescription food.
(1) Functional and refined trends. Baked food remains one of the important categories, with the popularity of functional attributes/functionality food rising, achieving refined development in feeding. For pets at different life stages, such as puppy food focusing on promoting development, and senior pet food addressing issues like slowed metabolism and joint degeneration, special joint protection ingredients are added, or improvements targeting intestinal health and urinary care are made to meet pet owners' needs. However, there are still few manufacturers of functional food in a professional sense, which places higher demands on companies' R&amp;D capabilities.
(2) In the high-end pet food sector, prescription food and fresh food are actively being developed by many brands. The R&amp;D barriers for prescription food are high, traditionally a stronghold for imported brands, but domestic brands are gradually making strides. Brands like Wei Shi/Bi Rui Ji have launched products targeting kidney, urinary, and gastrointestinal diseases in pets, while GAMBOL PET and CHINA PET FOODS also have corresponding R&amp;D reserves, paying attention to the new product dynamics of relevant companies. In the fresh food sector, some companies are also actively positioning themselves, such as Fubei Foods (a domestic OEM giant) and Pet Fresh, along with some emerging fresh food brands offering customized products for cats and dogs based on different life cycles and health statuses.
Marketing: Diversification in comprehensive communication and brand collaborations, with increased marketing investments from new brands.
Marketing in the pet industry has entered the &#34;content + social&#34; era, empowering offline scenarios to attract online customers. At offline exhibitions, many brands guide consumers to pay attention and acquire new customers by distributing samples and offering new products to members. This helps refine user profiles for precise brand marketing. For example, GAMBOL PET's Fliegate and Wang Zhenchun booths had activities where consumers could &#34;follow to become a member&#34; to receive gifts; the Royal booth, in addition to product displays, had brand + consumer Q&amp;A interactions, new product promotions, and Taobao flash sale promotions over four consecutive days, with simultaneous online live broadcasts across multiple platforms, creating a dual-driven online and offline approach.
Competition: Industry competition is becoming increasingly fierce, with attention to changes in the rankings of the top 10 companies.
The competitive landscape is intensifying, requiring companies to continuously innovate and differentiate themselves. ① Domestic brands initially rose rapidly due to channel flexibility and price advantages, gradually breaking into the mid-to-high-end price segment. ② International brands like Aikenna and Pinnacle have also increased brand investments in advertising, engaging in direct competition in the mid-to-high-end pet food market. ③ Emerging domestic brands like Xianlang and Lanshi are ramping up their advertising and brand marketing efforts. Overall, leading brands are beginning to concentrate, but competition among the top brands is still intensifying, with a focus on changes in the rankings of the top 10 companies
Investment Advice
Focus on brands with strong R&amp;D capabilities and emphasize the improvement of market share among leading players. The pet food sector is in a stable growth phase, with industry growth and continuous market share enhancement. Competition among leading brands is intensifying, and consumers are placing more importance on product specialization. Key recommendations include companies with outstanding R&amp;D strength, strong independent brand operation capabilities, and supply chain advantages (capacity support): CHINA PET FOODS (operations + R&amp;D iteration, independent brand development, overseas capacity expansion), GAMBOL PET (leading domestic brand, high growth of independent brands, improvement in net profit margin), while also paying attention to YUANFEI PET and Petpal Tech.
Risk Warning: Industry demand may fall short of expectations, intensified industry competition, independent brand growth may not meet expectations, significant fluctuations in raw material prices, food safety incidents, etc

002891

001222

300673

301498

China Merchants Securities released a research report stating that the Asia Pet Expo will be held in Shanghai in 2025, with record attendance and strong growth in pet consumption. The pet food sector is experiencing stable growth, with intensified industry competition and consumers placing greater emphasis on product specialization. Recommended stocks include CHINA PET FOODS and GAMBOL PET, while YUANFEI PET and Petpal Tech. are under observation. In terms of products, there is a rising trend towards refinement and functionality, with an increasing number of niche players in fresh and prescription pet food, and marketing strategies diversifying through omnichannel communication and brand collaborations

Zhitong

CHINA PET FOODS

YUANFEI PET

Petpal Tech.

GAMBOL PET

CITIC Securities: The scale of the Asia Pet Expo will reach a new high in 2025, with strong growth in pet consumption