{"id":131,"date":"2025-08-14T05:51:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T04:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/?p=131"},"modified":"2025-08-18T00:35:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T23:35:46","slug":"pet-industry-perspectives-sustainable-sourcing-changing-consumer-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/2025\/08\/14\/pet-industry-perspectives-sustainable-sourcing-changing-consumer-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Pet Industry Perspectives: Sustainable Sourcing &amp; Changing Consumer Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Two UK pet store owners share how they navigate rising costs and shifting customer demands, revealing the challenges of sourcing sustainable products in a competitive market.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"178\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/ffd042afa029a6c5a5532242238df7b-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/ffd042afa029a6c5a5532242238df7b-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/ffd042afa029a6c5a5532242238df7b-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/ffd042afa029a6c5a5532242238df7b-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/ffd042afa029a6c5a5532242238df7b.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caption: Jess Fox Reavley, owner of The Dog Grocer, says sustainable sourcing in the UK remains a challenge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In Newcastle\u2019s Jesmond district, <strong>Jess Fox Reavley<\/strong>, owner of <em>The Dog Grocer<\/em>, has noticed a growing demand for natural, sustainable, and locally sourced pet products. She says more people now ask where items come from, what\u2019s in them, and whether they are eco-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over in Whitley Bay, <strong>Clare Gebhard<\/strong>, owner of <em>Absolute Hound<\/em>, has seen rising interest in raw diets and functional treats. \u201cPeople are more willing to invest in high-quality food for their pets than ever before,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Industry data backs these observations. According to the UK Pet Food Manufacturers\u2019 Association (PFMA), natural pet food sales rose by 16% in 2024, while raw pet food sales increased by 21%. Both retailers agree the pet economy is not just about selling products \u2014 it\u2019s about building lasting trust with customers and ensuring pets live healthier, happier lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Listen to <strong>Jess Fox Reavley<\/strong> and <strong>Clare Gebhard<\/strong> discuss the realities of running sustainable pet businesses and how they adapt to changing consumer trends.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-soundcloud wp-block-embed-soundcloud\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pet Industry Perspectives: Sustainable Sourcing &amp; Changing Consumer Trends by Zexiang Liu\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F2154820401&#038;show_artwork=true&#038;maxheight=960&#038;maxwidth=640\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><em>Also available on <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/zexiang-liu-107302418\/31190bfd-2a8b-49c7-abe8-dfc43ab44dd7?si=b8b2a89d33f64793919c14b8baacedee&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/zexiang-liu-107302418\/31190bfd-2a8b-49c7-abe8-dfc43ab44dd7?si=b8b2a89d33f64793919c14b8baacedee&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing\"><mark style=\"color:#d32d2d\" class=\"has-inline-color\">SoundCloud<\/mark><\/a>:<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/zexiang-liu-107302418\/31190bfd-2a8b-49c7-abe8-dfc43ab44dd7?si=b8b2a89d33f64793919c14b8baacedee&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/zexiang-liu-107302418\/31190bfd-2a8b-49c7-abe8-dfc43ab44dd7?si=3283fb7e696943519c5657054a7d14bc&amp;utm_source=clipboard&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=social_sharing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"132\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/8e436e817669ed55dbfc198b448000c-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/8e436e817669ed55dbfc198b448000c-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/8e436e817669ed55dbfc198b448000c-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/8e436e817669ed55dbfc198b448000c-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/8e436e817669ed55dbfc198b448000c-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/8e436e817669ed55dbfc198b448000c-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"133\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/a3c72853047f649de4dd0d533f802d8-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/a3c72853047f649de4dd0d533f802d8-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/a3c72853047f649de4dd0d533f802d8-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/a3c72853047f649de4dd0d533f802d8-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/a3c72853047f649de4dd0d533f802d8-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/a3c72853047f649de4dd0d533f802d8-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"134\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/492246e8537936213281c90b1db1c87-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/492246e8537936213281c90b1db1c87-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/492246e8537936213281c90b1db1c87-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/492246e8537936213281c90b1db1c87-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/492246e8537936213281c90b1db1c87-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/492246e8537936213281c90b1db1c87-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"15\" src=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/887244fec08f33ce45518634a91f206-3-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15\" srcset=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/887244fec08f33ce45518634a91f206-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/887244fec08f33ce45518634a91f206-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/887244fec08f33ce45518634a91f206-3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/887244fec08f33ce45518634a91f206-3-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24223\/2025\/08\/887244fec08f33ce45518634a91f206-3-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Credit: Zexiang Liu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">DISCLAIMER:<a href=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/disclaimer\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/disclaimer\/\">https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/disclaimer\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><font><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two UK pet store owners share how they navigate rising costs and shifting customer demands, revealing the challenges of sourcing <a class=\" read-more  \" href=\"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/2025\/08\/14\/pet-industry-perspectives-sustainable-sourcing-changing-consumer-trends\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":323,"featured_media":135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pet-econonmy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/323"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/zexiang-liu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}