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Fressnapf acquires Pet Vision With effect from 1 January 2011, the Fressnapf Group will become the sole proprietor of its Swiss subsidiary Pet Vision. Rolf Styger, managing director of Pet Vision, will sell his shares in the company to Fressnapf owner Torsten Toeller, according to a press release by Fressnapf. Toeller held 35 per cent of the shares in the Swiss company hitherto. Rolf Styger and his team had attained an excellent position in the Swiss trade in recent years and laid the foundations for future market leadership, said Toeller. The aim now was to increase market share further. Styger will continue to head Pet Vision AG probably until the middle or end of 2011. Italian pet food market grows According to a report by ASSALCO (National Association for Pet Feeding and Care), the Italian cat and dog food market is worth € 1 490.5 mio, equivalent to 495 800 tonnes of products sold. Speciality retailers accounted for € 581.2 mio of this figure, while the supermarkets and hypermarkets were responsible for € 909.3 mio in sales. Once again, this performance is extremely positive: the annual value growth of the main segment (cat and dog food) amounts to +5.9 per cent. These are the conclusions of the 2010 report. Qualipet sponsors TV pet show The Swiss pet supplies chain Qualipet is the main sponsor for the first pet show to be broadcast from 29 August in the prime time schedule of the Swiss broadcaster SF1 under the title “Animal Friends”. The show lasts half an hour, will be broadcast nine times on a Sunday from 18.15 onwards and covers all aspects of keeping a pet. Apart from various trailers and attributions, the role of main sponsor brings with it product placements plus a host of information and film clips about Qualipet. Each show features a competition in which viewers can win a year’s supply of pet food and various Qualipet vouchers. P&G recalls cat food The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is voluntarily recalling specific lots of its “Iams” canned cat food in North America as a precautionary measure. Diagnostic testing indicated that the product may contain insufficient levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1), which is essential for cats. Cats that were fed these canned products as their only food are at greater risk of developing signs of thiamine deficiency. The recall includes “Iams ProActive Health canned Cat and Kitten Food”, all varieties of 3 oz and 5.5 oz cans (date on bottom of can: 09/2011 to 06/2012). This recall is limited solely…