Belgium-based United Petfood announces the acquisition of its first plant in the Nordics as part of its planned growth strategy.
United Petfood said a share purchase agreement has been signed for the acquisition of Vital Petfood Group's (VPG) plant in Ølgod, Denmark.
Based in Denmark, Vital Petfood produces dry and semimoist food for cats and dogs. Its other factory is based in Aarhus.
The intended acquisition still needs to be approved by the Danish Competition Authorities.
"Thanks to the acquisition of Vital Petfood Group, our network of production sites will be able to offer flexibility and brings our production more and more closer to our customers also in the Nordics," said the management of United Petfood in a statement.
Mika Holappa, Nordic Pet Care Group CEO noted there has been a lot of consolidation within the pet food production industry during the recent years.
"We wanted to find a new owner to continue developing our petfood production in the long run," said Holappa. "This divestment enables us to focus and further strengthen our branded businesses within Nordic Pet Care Group."
Being one of the leading European producers of pet food, United Petfood was an obvious choice of partner and new owner of VPG, said Holappa.
"We are confident that VPG will benefit from United Petfood’s European customer footprint as well extensive experience with operating multiple pet food production sites," said Holappa. "Furthermore, we expect United Petfood to be able to utilize VPG’s strong position in the Nordics and the Danish market, in particular.
"We look forward to continue and expand the collaboration with United Petfood and keep on producing Best Friend products at the Ølgod factory for the years to come”, he added.
About Vital Petfood and United Petfood
Vital Petfood Group produces dry and semi-moist cat and dog food. Vital Petfood Group operates a private-label business, according to Petfood Industry’s Top Companies database. It also offers its own brands, Go Care and Go Care Royal. United Petfood specializes in private label dry pet food, wet pet food, treats and snacks. The Belgian family-owned business operates at least 19 pet food manufacturing facilities in 8 countries and sells in more than 95 countries worldwide. The company’s annual revenue in 2022 was approximately US$800 million.
