Southeast Asia’s most pet-obsessed market is becoming a growth engine for businesses, and the Gokongwei family-led Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. is ready to cash in on the boom.
The listed retailer, which owns supermarkets, pharmacies and specialty brands, said households continue to cut back on non-essential spending—but not on their fur buddies.
“It’s an outlier,” Stanley Co, president and CEO of RRHI, told InsiderPH.
A recent Kantar Media study revealed that 94 percent of Filipino households owned a pet in 2024, which was the highest in Southeast Asia. Co said they’re seeing this in financial results as well.
“A sack of dog food is actually more expensive than a sack of rice,” Co said.
“They also spend on grooming and veterinary services,” he added.
RRHI is doubling down on the trend with plans to open five more branches of its Pet Lovers, which sells pet supplies and grooming and vet services in select branches.
This adds to their existing 12 branches.
Where store presence is limited, the firm will reach customers directly through mobile grooming, which is expected to be launched within 2026.
“We’re going to work with partners for this year,” Co explained.
The broader business will continue to grow underpinned by essential spending.
“The non-discretionary, the supermarket, the drugstore, which is 80% of our business, we will continue to grow,” Co said.
He expects business to pick up especially moving into the second half of 2026.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” he said.
Original Article: https://insiderph.com/philippines-pet-boom-becomes-big-business-for-robinsons-retail
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