The Top 10 Pet Industry Mergers & Acquisitions Stories of 2022 – PetProductNews.com

Despite soaring inflation, a looming recession and increasing interest rates, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity remained steady globally and in the U.S in 2022—though activity slowed from 2021’s record-smashing year, according to reports.
Global M&A deal volume in 2022 was $3.1 trillion as of Oct. 28—roughly 11 percent behind the total annual M&A deal volumes for 2017 and 2020, according to Bloomberg Law.
North America continues to drive global deal volume. Year-to-date deal volumes in North America reached $1.4 trillion, which makes up 47 percent of total global deal volume, Bloomberg Law reported.
In the pet industry, M&A continued unabated this year with big-name pet product manufacturers and retailers inking major deals. For pet specialty retailers, the activity can be worrisome, and many reported that they closely watch the industry’s M&A.
“The trend we’re keeping our eyes on is the constant buyouts of companies by investors and the amount of companies going into the big-box stores; usually this happens after an investor gets involved in a company,” Alexis Butler, owner of The Dog’s Meow, which has two stores in Utah, told PPN earlier this year. “The industry is becoming more homogeneous. It’s harder to find small independent companies to work with.”
JP Phinney, co-owner of Unleashed, The Dog and Cat Store, which has 10 locations in North Carolina, agreed.
“Consolidation is becoming a concern with all the private equity and venture capitalist money coming into the industry,” Phinney told PPN. “I think it’s going to get a little harder to find out who is who.”
In November, Mars Petcare reached an agreement to acquire Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-based Champion Petfoods, which manufactures the Orijen and Acana pet food brands, following years of speculation that the brand was up for grabs. Read more.
Mars Petcare, part of McLean, Va.-based Mars, kicked off 2022 with its acquisition of Nom Nom, a Nashville, Tenn.-based direct-to-consumer fresh pet food company. Read more.
In June, the pet services and specialty retail franchisor, which has more than 200 locations in the U.S., sold its business to principal investment firm Garnett Station Partners. Read more.
EarthWise Pet expanded its reached with the acquisition of 42 franchise locations and independently branded stores, company officials reported in November. Read more.
Hollywood Feed also increased its store count and added five new states to its roster through its acquisition of PetPeople, a “like-minded retailer” that shares its “dedication to providing the highest level of care, products and service to our customers and their furry family members,” Shawn McGhee, president and CEO of Hollywood Feed, said in a statement released in March. Read more.
Back in January, Manna Pro Products, a St. Louis-based manufacturer and marketer of pet care and nutrition products, made its largest acquisition, company officials reported, with the purchase of Omaha, Neb.-based Oxbow Animal Health. Read more.
Swedencare AB bought the Temecula, Calif.-based manufacturer of premium supplements for $447.5 million, company officials reported in February. Read more.
FurHaven, a Bellingham, Wash.-based e-commerce platform for pet accessories, including bedding, home and travel supplies, apparel and more, was bought by Novato, Calif.-based Worldwise in January. Read more.
In February, Phelps Pet Products, a Rockford, Ill.-based private label and branded manufacturer of clean-label meaty dog treats, reached an agreement to acquire all of the pet treat production equipment from the Simmons Pet Food facility in Siloam Springs, Ark. Read more.
Ziwi Ltd., a premium pet food exporter and maker of air-dried pet food in New Zealand, agreed to buy Hastings-based Freeze Dried Foods NZ Ltd. (FDF) and its subsidiary Kiwigarden Ltd. for an undisclosed amount to help Ziwi deliver on its mission of “peak nutrition without compromise,” company officials said in a statement in September. Read more.
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