Based in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Burns Pet Nutrition produces dry and wet dog food products as well as its recently introduced range of products for cats. Its products are available in more than 6,000 stockists and can be found as far afield as Hong Kong and Portugal.
Commenting on the sale, founder John Burns said: “After 30 years of owning and growing Burns Pet Nutrition I feel that is time for me to retire and hand over the reins. It has been a joyful and, at times, difficult journey I have had a great deal of support from many people and organisations over the years and I would like to extend my grateful thanks to all of them.
Growing the brand
“I am delighted that Assisi Pet Care is a good fit for Burns and they will grow the Burns brand in a responsible, ethical way.”
The acquisition is the first by Assisi since it was acquired by Wind Point Partners in October 2023, an investment heralded by a ‘value creation plan’ focused on accelerating organic growth through sales and marketing initiatives, optimizing operations and expanding the company’s product portfolio and geographic presence through strategic acquisitions.
Peter Mangion, founder and chief executive of Assisi Pet Care, said: “We are delighted to be adding the highly regarded Burns brand to the Assisi portfolio of brands but are equally pleased to be welcoming the fantastic Burns Pet Nutrition team to our organisation.
‘Perfect fit’
“The Burns brand is a perfect fit for Assisi in that animal health and well-being are central to the brand’s proposition. I am delighted that through this acquisition, we will add some excellent people in product development, marketing, sales, finance and operations functions, based in Kidwelly, Wales.
“We look forward to working with our new colleagues as we integrate the Burns brand into the Assisi portfolio and strengthen our offer to our customers across Europe.”
Meanwhile, dairy nutrition firm Danone is in talks with a Ferrero-related company regarding the potential sale of baked snacks brand Michel et Augustin.