经济学人222:狗用品市场的利润可不是不容小觑

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　　当宠物美容师一边哄着Lalo，一边吹干它乌黑亮丽的卷毛的时候，Lalo的脸上洋溢着幸福。在塑胶墙面的货车厢里，无论大狗还是小狗，美容费都是每只100比索（合约7.7美元）。这辆车是一家名叫Fluffy Shower的流动宠物沙龙的，现在正在墨西哥城的富裕地区巡游，出售高级宠物的香波和链条。最引人注目的狗穿着绿色、白色和红色的运动衫，在9月16日庆祝独立日。下个月宠物精品店还会推出万圣节南瓜装和精致的女巫帽。

　　Pet care is booming in emerging markets, as the growing middle class stops buying dogs for security (or dinner) and starts doting⁷ on them. Nowhere has the fashion taken off as quickly as in Latin America. In the past five years spending on pet food and knick-knacks has risen by 44%, to $11 billion, according to Euromonitor, a market-research firm, which estimates that Chile has more pet dogs per person than any other country. Latin pets may be the world’s most fashionable. As Mexico’s rainy season tails off, dogs are stepping out of designer shoes to show off painted claws.

　　中产阶级买狗不再是为了保卫或者食用，而是为了当作宠物，因此宠物保养在新兴国家市场正蓬勃发展。而这种时尚在拉丁美洲的发展是最快的。根据一家市场研究公司欧睿的调查，过去五年中，宠物食品和玩具的开销增长了44%，达到了110亿美元。该公司估计，智利是人均拥有宠物狗数量最多的国家。拉美的宠物应该是世界上最时尚的，随着墨西哥的雨季渐渐结束，狗狗们脱掉时尚鞋子，开始显摆它们的染色的爪子。

　　Rising incomes allow Latinos to treat mutts as members of the family. More young people are living alone and putting off marriage, choosing pets for company instead. These “pet parents” indulge their animals as if they were children, says Emily Woon, Euromonitor’s pet-care supremo, who reports that Latin America has been the “star market” of recent years. Latinos are especially fond of dogs, which are costlier⁸ than cats, but superior in every respect. Whereas in Europe the dog- and cat-food markets are equal, in Latin America dog food outsells cat food by nearly six to one.

　　随着收入的增加，拉美人渐渐把狗狗们当成家庭成员了。越拉越多的独身年轻人推迟婚姻，选择宠物作为自己的伴侣。欧睿宠物保养权威人士艾米丽·伍恩说，这些“宠物爸妈”们对宠物们溺爱地像自己的孩子一样。据她所说，近年来，拉美已经成了“明星市场”了。拉美人特别喜欢狗，尽管养狗比养猫要贵，但是在各方面都比养猫好。在欧洲，猫狗食品市场份额相等，但在拉美，狗粮的销售差不多是猫粮的六倍。

　　There is room for growth. Many Latinos still feed their pets table scraps⁹: three-quarters of Mexican hounds make do with leftover¹⁰ bits of burrito. Billboards¹¹ around Mexico City’s parks urge owners to switch to Pedigree and other brands of delicious packaged pet food.

　　这个市场还有扩大的空间。许多拉美人还是在用剩饭剩菜来喂宠物：四分之三的墨西哥猎犬都在吃墨西哥玉米煎饼的残渣。墨西哥城的公园里到处都是广告牌，力劝宠物的主人改用宝路或者其他名牌包装的可口宠物食品。

　　Glitzy pet superstores, which account for more than a fifth of pet-product sales in America and Canada, barely exist south of the Rio Grande. The most popular outlets¹² are still small, independent pet shops, which retain customers by offering credit. But the superstores will come. And when Latin animal-lovers can buy a full range of food, toys and veterinary services in one place, life could become even more luxurious¹³ for Mexico’s privileged pets.

　　在美国和加拿大，琳琅满目的宠物超市占了宠物产品销售量的五分之一以上，而在格兰德河以南却十分罕见。最流行的经销店还是规模小、单独的宠物商店，并通过赊购来保留客户。但是大型超市还是会出现的，如果拉美的动物爱好者在同一个地方购买所有宠物食品、玩具和医用护理设备，那么墨西哥高级宠物们的生活将会更加奢华。

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