Lily’s Kitchen acquired by Nestlé

Purina PetCare, the pet products business of Swiss food and beverage firm Nestlé, has acquired Lily’s Kitchen, one of the leading producers of wet and dry natural foods for dogs and cats in the UK.

Founded in London 12 years ago, Lily’s Kitchen grew rapidly to become an internationally recognised brand offering natural recipes for dogs and cats across 6,000 stores in 30 countries (France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, as well as the Middle East and Asia) with over £85m in retail sales.

The transaction will see the Lily’s Kitchen product range join Purina’s existing brand portfolio, which includes some of the best-known pet foods such as Felix, Purina One, Gourmet and Purina Pro Plan.

Bernard Meunier, CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare EMENA, said that the acquisition will enable the company to expand its footprint in the fast-growing natural pet food sector. The rapid growth of the segment is revealed by Euromonitor and Nielsen data, which show that in 2019 it made up 7% of the total pet food market with double-digit growth of 10%. Lily’s Kitchen will continue to be run as a stand-alone business from its base in Fitzrovia, London.

Image credits: Neslté