THIRSK, ENGLAND — Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) announced on Aug. 23 its acquisition of Butcher’s Pet Care (BPC), a leading manufacturer of high-quality wet pet food products. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Founded in 1983, BPC has grown to become one of the United Kingdom’s leading wet pet food producers and holds an established position in Poland. The company offers wet cat and dog foods under three brands: Butcher’s, an affordable, high-quality food brand for canines; Blink!, a premium, natural cat food brand; and Classic, an affordable, natural cat food brand. BPC also manufactures pet food products for a range of customers, including specialist pet shops. The company currently operates a 385,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Crick, Northamptonshire.

Headquartered in Thirsk, IPN is known for its high-quality, natural dog food and treats under its Harringtons and Wagg brands. The company is dedicated to using natural ingredients in its formulations to provide consumers with affordable and nutritious pet foods that ultimately support the health and wellbeing of their pets. 

In 2020, IPN was acquired by CapVest, an international investment firm. Following this, in 2021 the company acquired Pet Food UK, as well as its high-quality and premium dog and cat food brands Barking Heads and Meowing Heads. 

“Joining forces with IPN and CapVest is a fantastic opportunity for Butcher’s,” said Tim Watsham, chief executive officer of BPC. “Together, we share a passion for providing the best nutrition for pets and a commitment to excellence. We look forward to leveraging IPN and CapVest’s resources and expertise to pursue our growth ambitions and continue delivering high-quality products to our customers.”

In addition to the acquisition, IPN announced it will appoint Arthur van Benthem to CEO of the enlarged IPN-BPC group. Van Benthem has extensive experience working with management teams and private equities to help grow and develop international businesses and has a background in sales and marketing. Throughout his career, van Benthem has held executive leadership positions across several markets in EMEA (Europe, Middle East Africa) and Asia/Pacific regions, in addition to the United States, with Unilever, the Coca-Cola Company, Royal FrieslandCampina, Imperial Brands and Dunlop.

In his new role, van Benthem will lead IPN’s growth strategy. 

“Butcher’s brand portfolio and business is highly complementary to IPN and consistent with our vision and strategy to expand the business and create a portfolio of natural, wet and dry pet food brands with superior nutrition, which is affordable and accessible to all pet owners,” van Benthem said. “Strategically, it also provides us with an established platform and opportunity to expand our presence in the growing European pet food market. On completion of the transaction, we look forward to welcoming our new Butcher’s colleagues into the IPN family and working with them to realize our joint growth ambitions for the future.”

With the addition of BPC, IPN expects the companies will have combined gross sales of around £350 million ($461.7 million USD), most of which will be generated by the companies’ branded products. 

“Butcher’s is a great addition to the IPN platform, creating a business of greater scale and presence across a range of categories, channels and customer segments,” said Kate Briant, senior partner at CapVest. “It also creates a solid platform to pursue further organic and acquisition-led growth with a particular focus on Europe and we are delighted to have a CEO of Arthur van Benthem’s caliber ready to lead this plan with his extensive brand, financial, strategy and leadership experience. 

“This deal is a great example of CapVest’s passion for building strong, differentiated global companies through significant investment in people, technology, innovation, and capabilities,” she added. “We look forward to continuing to work with the team to strengthen IPN’s prospects and optimally position the business for a multitude of growth opportunities in the future.”

The deal is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.