Designer fashion for pets sees sales growth

Waterproof rain coats, Christmas jumpers, tracksuits and hoodies. They sound like your average store's clothing offer, but are in fact items available for pets.

With companies including Burberry, American Apparel, Marks & Spencer, Asda, John Lewis and Barbour all producing clothing for dogs, it is clear that pet accessories are a viable and lucrative business.

Pets Corner, the UK’s second largest pet store chain, says sales of dog coats are up 35 percent this year compared with 2013, as pet owners have moved on from simply wanting something to keep their dog dry to searching for more fashionable items. Pets at Home, the UK’s biggest pet store chain, says so far this winter it has sold 17 percent more than in 2013, the equivalent of 105,000 items of pet clothing.

“All you have to do is take a walk in the park in the middle of the day to see that more and more dogs are wearing coats or jackets,” says David Robinson of the Kennel Club. “It’s become more acceptable. Dogs have become part of the family, so people want to buy them toys, accessories and clothing.”

Marks & Spencer started selling dog coats in October, while John Lewis says sales of pets’ clothing and accessories are up 94 percent on last year, when it first opened a pet department.

Heritage brand Barbour, the purveyor of waxed and quilted jackets, says it has doubled sales of canine coats in the past three years. It sells a range of six styles, in dachshund to great Dane sizes, to match those worn by their owners.

While they are catering for those wanting to keep their pets stylishly warm and dry, novelty outfits are also in demand, especially for Christmas. Asda says it has sold 2,500 Christmas dog jumpers so far this year.