Nestlé Purina PetCare has acquired a majority stake in Tails.com, a UK-based, direct-to-consumer, tailor-made dog nutrition business. With the growth of personalized pet nutrition rising rapidly, Nestlé Purina’s shareholding in this digital-first business offers significant growth opportunities for both companies.
Since its launch in 2014, Tails.com has brought tailored dog nutrition solutions to consumers at competitive prices. The company was early to identify changes in the way consumers want to shop and care for their pets, and married digital technology, food innovation and new manufacturing techniques to provide food individually tailored according to factors such as a dog’s age, breed, size and level of activity.
Powered by a proprietary nutritional algorithm developed by vets, nutritionists and software engineers, the company now feeds more than 100,000 dogs in the UK. Tails.com customers also benefit from a convenient subscription service with home delivery, as well as access to an in-house nutrition support team.
Tails.com will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity, with co-founder and CEO James Davidson at the helm. The current management team and employees will remain shareholders and continue to run the business from its base in Richmond, West London. Both companies have a mutual desire to help make pets and their owners’ lives better, with Purina’s extensive pet nutrition expertise, industry-leading research and new technologies complementing Tails.com’s existing capabilities.
Bernard Meunier, CEO, Nestlé Purina PetCare; Europe, Middle East & North Africa (EMENA) said: “Personalized pet nutrition, along with direct-to-consumer subscription services, is expanding rapidly and this move underlines our focus on investing in high-growth categories and acting on consumer trends. Tails.com has a unique and winning business model that successfully combines individually customized recipes with a best in class pet owner experience, and all at competitive prices. The team behind Tails.com has achieved strong growth and generated outstanding customer engagement and loyalty. Our support will enable the acceleration of Tails.com’ expansion plans in the UK and beyond.”
James Davidson, CEO, Tails.com said: “When we launched the company nearly four years ago, we were excited to bring something new to pet care in the UK. Our mission is to change the world of pet food for good, by providing every dog with its own unique, blended recipe. We’ve been amazed by the response from pet owners. We now provide four million bespoke meals per month to dogs across the UK and expect to see sales of well over £20 million this year. Purina’s support gives us the opportunity to build on this success in the UK and beyond, reaching more pets with our tailored nutrition. We will continue to run the business with the same entrepreneurial and customer-centric vision that has already brought us so much success.”
Source: Food Ingredients First
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