Armitage Pet Care acquired by investment company

Armitage Pet Care, which has a reported turnover of around £45 million, has been acquired by investment company Rutland Partners for an undisclosed amount...

The business, which claims to be the UK’s largest manufacturer and supplier of premium branded pet treats and accessories, employs more than 100 people.

On the company's website it states: "We are pleased to announce that Rutland Partners have invested in Armitage Pet Care in conjunction with the existing management team."

Armitage Pet Care was granted the Royal Warrant in 1976, has a strong brand portfolio, including “Good Boy”, a leading premium dog treats and accessories brand.

From its manufacturing and distribution base in Colwick, near Nottingham, Armitage supplies over 2,000 products across the dog, cat, small domestic pets, bird and fish categories to a broad customer base including specialist retailers and the major supermarkets. The company currently has a turnover of around £45 million with ambitious plans to support its key customer’s and providing continuous innovation for the consumer.

Under the leadership of CEO Paul Bousfield, Armitage has outperformed a growing market in recent years through being at the forefront of positive market trends such as the “humanisation of pets” and premiumisation of pet products. The business has successfully driven innovation in the pet market underpinned by its category management principles and partnership approach with its key customers.

Rutland’s investment in Armitage represents an exciting scale opportunity to support and invest behind a successful incumbent management team and to build on current expansion plans.

Further investment in infrastructure of the business, including significant brand support, new product development and IT, will allow the business to better serve its customer base and enable Armitage to develop substantial future opportunities in conjunction with its key partners.

Ben Slatter, Partner at Rutland, said “We are delighted to have completed our investment in Armitage. The business has built a strong position in a growing market and is well positioned for future growth. We are looking forward to supporting the management team and working with them to further develop the business over the coming years.”

Paul Bousfield, CEO of Armitage said: “We are proud of developing Armitage into the leading high quality treats and accessories business that has significantly changed the shape of the pet category. We are delighted to be partnering with Rutland who we are confident will be able to support us in our ambitious plans for the next phase of growth.”