Waitrose reports boom in seasonal spending on pets this Christmas

Waitrose has reported a huge uplift in seasonal spending on pets this Christmas with sales of festive pet lines up 964% on this time last year.

The retailer said visits online to its Mince Pies for Dogs page have risen by 241% in the last 30 days while searches on Waitrose.com for ‘dog christmas’ have climbed by 114% in the last week.

Meanwhile, John Lewis has seen sales of Christmas dog toys increase 98% compared to the same time last year, with the current bestseller being the Petface Christmas Carrot Dog Toy.

Waitrose has also revealed that Christmas-themed dinners for pets are proving popular, with sales of products such as the Forthglade Lamb & Chicken Trays and Lily’s Kitchen Organic Chicken Supper up 343% and 183% respectively.

Nicki Hobbs, Waitrose buyer for pet food and pet care, said: “This Christmas, our customers are looking to share the love with their pets, embracing them as key members of family households.

“This is why we’re driving category growth this Christmas, launching two new festive products including our Paw-some Mince Pies and Waitrose Crunchy Christmas mix for Cats, as well as bringing back our popular Waitrose Christmas Meaty strips for dogs, giving customers the perfect way to pamper their pets.”