Deals & M&A.
Who's buying whom in pet retail — acquisitions, funding, ownership changes, and what each deal actually bought.
Pet nutrition and tech companies raised new funding across four rounds
Lickicious raised $1.9M for a 60,000-square-foot facility, MAASH raised $14.1M for mycoprotein production, DocPharma raised $2M to add 100 dark stores, and Beta Bugs raised $1.1M for black soldier fly genetics.
4 min read · Sep 14
VAFO Group bought Berlin DTC brand Pets Deli and plans to double its revenue by 2030
The Czech manufacturer aims to double Pets Deli's current 40 million euro annual revenue by 2030, combining the German brand's DTC position with VAFO's manufacturing capabilities.
3 min read · Sep 12
Genesis merged with the pet brand that buys its algae
Genesis Group, Australia's largest commercial Chlorella producer, merged with Proudi, the Brisbane pet food manufacturer that already buys Genesis-grown algae for its supplements.
4 min read · Sep 9
Petco's Reptile Sales Grew While Most Indies Walked Away. The Margin Math Says Why.
The category doing the work was one most specialty stores no longer stock, and the consumables followed the animal out.
3 min read · Sep 7
Coles Walked From the $2.9B Greencross Deal in Three Weeks. The Valuation Gap Is Now the Story.
TPG wanted $2.9B. Coles did the math and walked. If you're planning an exit, the gap between those two numbers matters more than the deal itself.
3 min read · Sep 1
Canidae Bought Celebrity Heat and a Charity Hook to Launch Heartland. The Question Is Whether Either One Moves Units.
Walker Hayes wrote the anthem, the Red Cross gets 1% of every sale, and Walmart has the exclusive. The retail play depends on whether the charity story justifies the shelf space.
3 min read · Aug 26
Pet M&A Volume Fell 13%. Valuations Rose. That's the Signal.
Deal count dropped harder than dollar volume, and the spread between the two tells you who has leverage in 2026.
4 min read · Aug 25
Hundreds of Independent Pet Stores Will Celebrate the Same Weekend. The Question Is What You Actually Do With It.
The foot traffic bump is real. The durable asset is what you do with the contact afterward.
3 min read · Aug 24
Friskies Built a Hobby Shop That Sells Zero Cat Food
A three-city tour with custom trading cards, 3D-printed figurines, and blind boxes. No retail partner named.
3 min read · Aug 19
Fera Pets Is Betting Longevity Science Sells Better Than 'Joint Support'
The vet-founded brand is positioning around cellular health and metabolic support, not the joint-and-digestion playbook.
3 min read · Aug 17
650,000 Pounds of Dog Food Set a Credibility Floor Most DTC Brands Cannot Clear
650K pounds to Vegas rescues during show week. The donation math that matters for specialty buyers and emerging brands.
3 min read · Aug 17
The Farmer's Dog Became a Buyer, and Fresh Brands Now Owe You an Answer
The Farmer's Dog acquired Woof, PetIQ bought MYOS, and the M&A pattern is accelerating. What it means for fresh brands and the stores that stock them.
4 min read · Aug 17
Petz Cobasi Pulled Three Growth Levers and Still Decelerated to 7.8%
The largest pet specialty chain in Brazil leaned on private label, faster delivery, and sales incentives. Revenue growth slowed quarter-over-quarter.
3 min read · Aug 17
Jollyes Named 160 Target Towns, and Your Lease Comp Moved With It
When a chain names 160 target sites publicly, every landlord in those markets now has a comp they didn't have last week.
3 min read · Aug 15
BARK Shrank Revenue 23% on Purpose, and Your Leverage Went Up
The company deliberately shrank its subscriber base, hit profitability, and changed the negotiation for every buyer stocking DTC brands.
4 min read · Aug 13
Native Pet Hit 13,000 Doors in Three Years. The Number That Explains How Is 390.7%.
The brand grew nearly 400% while proving a clean-label claim can carry enough consumer pull to justify the shelf space.
3 min read · Aug 12
Inaba's Format Explosion Tests Whether Lickables Can Carry a Full SKU Stack
Inaba wants meal slots, chew slots, and multiple pack sizes. The shelf-space calculus changed.
3 min read · Aug 12
VAFO Bought a Brand That Ships Past Your Shelf Entirely
The manufacturer behind brands on your shelf now owns a channel built to reach the same customer without you.
5 min read · Aug 12
Canada's Largest Pet Retailer Lost Its Index Seat While Revenue Grew
S&P told the market that top-line growth without margin discipline no longer counts. If you run a store or pitch one, that bar moved.
4 min read · Aug 11
A Thai Manufacturer Expanded Margin While Your Co-Packer Raised Prices
A Thai pet food manufacturer expanded gross margin 4.7 points while reporting the same input-cost pressures. That is the line to read twice.
3 min read · Aug 7
Five Animal Health Companies Grew. Your Shelf Saw None of It.
Five major companies reported double-digit growth. The products driving it don't stock in your aisle.
4 min read · Aug 6
Woof Is Teaching Your Customer at a Campsite, Then Sending Them to You
The enrichment brand is placing welcome kits at eight glamping properties, on a shelf you thought you controlled.
3 min read · Aug 5
Two Consolidators Bought Wet-Food Capacity and Called It Brands
Assisi and United Petfood bought production lines in markets where you cannot easily add them.
3 min read · Aug 4
Charterhouse Bought 150 Animal Health Brands, Dental Among Them
Charterhouse bought Animalcare Group and took it private. The playbook that kept those SKUs stable has flipped.
3 min read · Aug 3