Is there life without Mars: Lenta is looking for a replacement for Royal Canin feeds

Lenta has decided to reduce the dependence of its pet store chain on one of the largest suppliers of pet food in Russia, the American Mars. The retail chain began to look for a new manufacturing partner, without waiting for the decision of the Federal Antimonopoly Service on the dispute with the distributor of Royal Canin feeds, Ruskan Distribution. The reason for the disagreement was the purchase prices and the stability of the assortment. The conflict went beyond commercial negotiations: after the distributor refused to conclude a direct contract, Lenta complained about it to the FAS. The decision, which was initially expected on October 16, has been postponed until the end of the year. Now the company is considering other manufacturers. At the same time, the brand's position in the professional segment and the attachment of customers to the brand may complicate its replacement, experts say.

What is the reason for the retailer's intention

The Lenta Group is looking for a strategic partner for the supply of specialized animal feed to the Lenta Zoomarket chain. A source close to the company told Izvestia about this, and its representative confirmed it. According to him, the retailer intends to replace the current key supplier, Ruskan Distribution LLC, a subsidiary of the American Mars, which supplies Royal Canin feed to the network through its intermediary.

The decision is related to dissatisfaction with the terms of cooperation with the supplier. Lenta regularly polls customers and takes their opinions into account when forming the assortment, the company representative explained. According to him, the main requirements of customers remain affordable prices and the constant availability of necessary feeds in stores. At the same time, the current key supplier, according to the retailer, does not meet these requirements in terms of price and range stability. Therefore, the group is considering the possibility of cooperation with other professional feed producers who are ready for a long-term partnership, he added.

A representative of Royal Canin told Izvestia that the company was negotiating with Lenta Zoomarket on the terms of cooperation and had not refused to sign a contract with the chain. He does not know about the retailer's plans to change partners. He also added that the brand's products are available in retail and online stores.

The search for a new partner is taking place against the background of the conflict between Lenta and Ruskan Distribution. In August 2026, the retailer applied to the St. Petersburg Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) with a request to check the supplier's actions for signs of abuse of a dominant position. The reason was the refusal to conclude a direct contract for the supply of Royal Canin to Lenta Zoomarket. At that time, the network was purchasing these products through an intermediary chosen by the supplier. According to the retailer, a direct contract would reduce purchase costs and provide more favorable prices for customers.

An official request for a contract was sent on April 7, 2026, and on April 16, Ruskan Distribution refused. The supplier referred, in particular, to the fact that Lenta Zoomarket is operated by the same legal entity as the Hyper Lenta and Super Lenta grocery chains. The retailer considers this argument unfounded, since, according to its data, Ruskan Distribution directly cooperates with other specialized pet chains, including Four Paws, Zoosaurus and PetShop.ru . Therefore, the company asked the FAS to check whether such conditions create discrimination.

The FAS was going to make a decision on this case on October 16. However, it was then referred to the central office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service for consideration, a source familiar with the case said. The review period was extended until December 30, the representative of the service said.

Chip and Dog: The State Duma will adopt a new package of animal laws

The main innovation should be the initiative on mandatory registration of pets.

What is the position of the American corporation in the Russian market

This is not the retailer's first dispute with Mars over supply conditions. In April 2024, Lenta suspended purchases of Whiskas, Perfect Fit, Kitekat, Chappi and Pedigree feeds, explaining that it was impossible to negotiate prices that would be beneficial to customers. At that time, Mars claimed that they had not increased feed prices for a year and a half, despite the rise in the cost of raw materials and logistics. At the end of May of the same year, the parties partially resumed cooperation.

Mars remains one of the largest players in the Russian pet food market, according to NTech data. In particular, in 2025, the Chappi brand took the first place in the rating with a share of 18.5%, Pedigree — the second with 17%, Cesar — the fourth with 7.9%. Whiskas took the first place in the cat food market with a share of 21.1%, and KiteKat — the fourth with 11.7%.

According to FAS estimates, in 2023 Mars and Nestle Russia collectively accounted for 73.1% of sales of cat and dog food. In March 2024, the service reported that such a share gives grounds to recognize companies as collectively dominant in the market. After interacting with the regulator, both manufacturers expressed their willingness to provide promotional discounts of up to 30% on individual products to retail chains.

At the same time, Mars maintains its strong position in the professional segment. By the end of 2025, Royal Canin took the first place among brands of cat and dog food in the rating of the Zooinform portal, which takes into account sales and the presence of trademarks on the market.

Other premium food manufacturers can replace the brand in the Zoomarket assortment, Ekaterina Kosareva, Managing Partner of VMT Consult, believes. Among the alternatives presented on the Russian market, the expert names Pro Plan from Nestlé, Grandorf, as well as domestic AlphaPet and Sirius.

However, replacing the products of an American company may not be easy, as Russian brands are only increasing their market share, said Roman Samoilov, director of the Consumer Sector and Agribusiness practice at Strategy Partners. In his opinion, the most realistic scenario is substitution through the development of its own trademark (STM) and contract manufacturing. This may allow the retailer to gain more control over the price and assortment, which Ruskan currently does not provide.

Pays twice: Grocery retailers have earned billions from advertising

How trading is looking for new growth points against the background of deteriorating profitability of the core business

At the same time, it is more difficult to find a full-fledged replacement for Royal Canin products in the category of veterinary diets, experts say. These products have developed a high level of consumer loyalty, especially among animal owners who select food based on veterinarians' recommendations, Roman Samoilov explained. Therefore, in the next two to three years, a retail chain can significantly reduce the brand's share in sales, but a complete abandonment of the brand looks unlikely, the expert believes.

In turn, the possibility of refusal will depend not only on the purchase prices, but also on the ability of the new partner to ensure the necessary breadth of assortment and stability of supplies, Ekaterina Kosareva noted.

By the end of 2025, the monetary volume of the pet food market amounted to 636 billion rubles, which is 18% more than a year earlier, according to the materials of Strategy Partners. In the future, the market will grow primarily due to premium and specialized nutrition, Roman Samoilov predicts. According to him, Russian manufacturers will gradually strengthen their positions in segments previously dominated by international companies.