今日上海
中国不断增长的宠物市场吸引了家电、新能源汽车等行业的新进入者 - 2026年08月24日
China's growing pet market lures new entrants from home appliance, NEV, other industries
China's booming pet economy has started attracting a growing number of leading cleaning product, home appliance, and even new energy vehicle manufacturers to enter the market, with new players leveraging their advanced manufacturing capabilities to target pet-related scenarios.
China's BYD and Haier Group, as well as US' Honeywell International, took part in the five-day Pet Fair Asia, the biggest expo of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, which ended yesterday. Home appliance giant Haier debuted a washing machine line designed for households with pets, while automation firm Honeywell showed its fifth-generation cat-targeted air purifier, equipped with a roaming hair-suction system.
The 28th Pet Fair Asia saw a record number of exhibitors across an exhibition area of 320,000 square meters, also a historic high. Overseas visitors came from 102 countries and regions, with their ranks surging 23 percent from a year earlier, while public-day attendees exceeded 400,000.
Food manufacturer Want Want Group also announced its foray into the pet industry at the fair, investing in Shanghai Pilinxing Pet Supplies, the parent company of emerging pet brand FurFurLand.
As a leading public food and beverage company, Want Want can bring its stringent production and management standards to pet food manufacturing, Xu Yin, chief executive of FurFurLand, told Yicai. More importantly, its long-standing brand reputation will help quickly establish consumer trust in the new products, Xu stressed.
China's urban dog and cat consumption market reached CNY312.6 billion (USD46.5 billion) last year, with pet food accounting for over half of the total, according to the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper released in January. The market is expected to top CNY400 billion by 2028.
In addition, the pet healthcare consumption market reached about CNY86.3 billion (USD12.8 billion), with an aging trend among pets becoming more evident, where pets over six years old account for more than 30 percent of the total. Rising demand for chronic disease management and joint care for senior pets is driving new market growth.
Hisun Pharmaceutical entered the pet medicine sector around 2014, setting up Hisun Animal Healthcare Products.
"At that time, the pet-owning population was growing rapidly, and demand for specialized pet medicines began to emerge," Ji Wei, general manager of Hisun Animal Healthcare, told Yicai. "However, the market was almost entirely dominated by imported goods, with a severe lack of domestic options."
Hisun Animal Healthcare has developed a comprehensive portfolio of pet medical products, including vaccines, chemical pharmaceuticals, and prescription medications, Ji noted, adding that the company maintains a steady pipeline, launching four to six new products a year.
Overseas expansion will be a crucial future growth driver for China's pet industry. The global pet market will likely exceed USD287 billion this year, but Chinese companies make up only a small share.
To capitalize on this, Hisun Animal Healthcare has invested CNY800 million (USD119 million) to build production lines that meet international standards, with its canine dewormer Hailewang getting approved in Vietnam last year and since securing certifications in Australia, Russia, the Philippines, and other countries. The company has also allied with leading Mexican pharma firm PiSA to accelerate its Latin American expansion.
Source: Yicai Global
