Industry insiders are optimistic about Hong Kong’s growing pet economy, and are eager to seize on market opportunities by rolling out products and services tailored to the lifestyles of the city’s pet owners.

These sentiments were shared at the 20th Hong Kong Pet Show, which opened on Thursday and runs for four days. The event, the largest in its history, features more than 1,000 booths, with nearly 400 exhibitors from around the world.

Among them is HICC Pet, an American pet care brand attending for the second time. This year, the company has expanded its booth size by six times that of last year, following stronger-than-expected sales in 2024.

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Linda Wu, the brand’s content manager, said the company’s goal in joining the show is to tap into the Hong Kong market, building on its presence in the United States and Singapore. The company provides quick-cleaning solutions for pets, such as wipes and sprays, which Wu said she believes will appeal to busy Hong Kong pet owners.

The city’s fast-paced lifestyle means people often don’t have much time to clean their pets thoroughly, Wu said. “The market for convenient pet cleaning and care products is definitely growing here.”

Beyond pet care, Hong Kong’s pet technology market is also growing. Pet Planet Trading is the local distributor for Shanghai-based Petkit, which specializes in products like automatic feeders, smart water fountains, and self-cleaning litter boxes. Ken Yau, the company’s senior sales assistant, said these smart products can be remotely controlled via a mobile app, and Hong Kong consumers who are busy and enjoy traveling out of the city will find them useful.

Yau said he is “optimistic” about achieving good sales results over the four-day event, adding that he expects to see a possible 10 percent increase compared to last year. “Even though Thursday is the first day of the exhibition and a workday, the turnout was higher than I expected,” Yau said.

Abby Siu, a representative at local pet store PetChill’s marketing department, said she shares this sentiment. More Chinese mainland products are coming to Hong Kong, providing consumers with more cost-effective choices and helping to strengthen the overall market, Siu said. The rising demand for cat products, fueled by an increasing number of cat lovers, is also contributing to the growth in the pet market, she added.

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But Stanley See, sales director of Passion Pet Nutrition, which manages about 15 global cat and dog food brands in Hong Kong, is more cautious. He said this year’s sales will be about the same as last year’s. Hong Kong residents now have a greater interest in cats than dogs, and since cats eat less and need fewer snacks, that could be a challenge for the pet food business, See said.

At the opening ceremony, Carl Wong, chairman of the event’s organizer Exhibition Group, said that “Hong Kong’s pet market has exceeded HK$6.2 billion ($800 million)”, reflecting “the thriving ecosystem of the industry”.

A pet spending survey released by market research firm Ipsos in March 2024 showed that Hong Kong residents spend on a diverse range of pet-related items, including food, toys, healthcare, cleaning supplies, and grooming services, indicating robust purchasing power. More than half of those surveyed reported spending between HK$1,000 and HK$4,999 per month on their pets, while nearly a quarter spend more than HK$5,000 monthly.

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com