Swedish group swoops for pet food business
A pet food company in Worcester has been acquired by a firm headquartered in Sweden.
Orbis Partners advised the shareholders of The First Class Pet Company, trading as Little Big Paw, on the sale of the business to Petbuddy Group AB, an investor backed group focused on acquiring and growing premium pet brands.
Established in 2011, Little Big Paw is a premium pet food brand selling a range of grain free, hypo-allergenic wet and dry pet food products.
Little Big Paw has delivered strong growth over the last few years as a result of a growing international and domestic customer base of pet shop chains and specialist distributors.
Post transaction, shareholders David Alton and Jim Weston will continue in their current roles.
Headquartered in Sweden, Petbuddy Group AB acquires, integrates and scales premium pet brands internationally.
Commenting on the sale, shareholders David Alton and Jim Weston said: “As a premium brand with a loyal and growing customer base, Little Big Paw is well positioned for its next stage of growth. With their growing portfolio of premium pet brands and technological expertise, we are delighted to find an owner that will help the brand reach its full potential.”
The transaction was led by Orbis director Steve Nock and partner James Grenfell with support from senior analyst Adam Grenfell.
Nock said: “Little Big Paw has the potential to be a global petfood brand as a result of its premium positioning and designed for export strategy. We are delighted to have assisted Jim and David in finding an owner who can take the business onto the next phase of its growth journey.”
Legal advice to Little Big Paw was provided by Clare Lang, corporate partner at mfg Solictors with tax advice provided by Rob Pearce, partner at Bishop Fleming.
