United Petfood ups its game

The pet food manufacturer United Petfood is active in over 95 countries worldwide and currently realises annual turnover in excess of 1.2 bn euros. The company has announced the take-over of De Haan Petfood at the end of last year. The Dutch company is located in Nieuwkoop and specialises in the production of wet dog and cat food in the form of high-quality meat chunks in gravy. With over six decades of experience in the production of canned wet food for worldwide export, the company brings significant expertise to the United Petfood family. “The takeover of De Haan Petfood opens up new avenues in terms of wet food and enables us to keep up with growing demand,” states United Petfood.

“We are pleased to be joining the United Petfood family and we are convinced this will allow us to consolidate our business success. On a commercial level, we can pool our resources while existing United Petfood clients get access to an experienced manufacturer of canned wet food. We will also be able to share our know-how and experience on an operational level. Following the takeover, Eddy Nijhof will remain in place as the site’s managing director, guaranteeing service and continuity for existing business relations,” commented De Haan Petfood.

United Petfood also announced in January that a share purchase agreement had been signed for the acquisition of Vital Petfood Group in Ølgod, Denmark. The takeover of the first plant in the Nordic region is part of the planned growth strategy of United Petfood, according to the company. Vital Petfood Group is a pet food business with extensive experience in the production of dry and semi-moist food for cats and dogs. The intended acquisition still needs to be approved by the Danish competition authorities. “Thanks to the acquisition of the Vital Petfood Group, our network of production sites will be able to offer flexibility and brings our production closer to our customers also in the Nordics,” states the management of United Petfood.  

“There has been a lot of consolidation within the pet food production industry during recent years. We wanted to find a new owner to continue developing our pet food production in the long run. This divestment enables us to focus and further strengthen our branded businesses within Nordic Pet Care Group,” said Nordic Pet Care Group CEO Mika Holappa.