OMMAX advised Assisi Pet Care on the acquisition of Forthglade to strengthen its premium natural pet food portfolio

We would like to congratulate Assisi Pet Care, one of Europe’s leading premium natural pet care platforms with an established portfolio of high-quality pet food and treats brands, on the acquisition of Forthglade, one of the UK’s leading premium natural pet food brands. The acquisition further strengthens Assisi Pet Care’s position in premium natural pet food and represents another important step in building a leading European house of natural pet care brands.

OMMAX supported Assisi Pet Care by conducting comprehensive commercial and technology due diligence on Forthglade, with a particular focus on its e-commerce business and digital capabilities:

• In-depth commercial assessment of Forthglade’s business model, competitive landscape, including detailed benchmarking, digital marketing performance, D2C and Amazon performance, customer economics, business plan assessment, and value creation analysis
• Evaluation of the strategic fit and synergy potential between Forthglade and Assisi Pet Care, including opportunities across D2C, Amazon, CRM and retention, data analytics, and e-commerce capabilities
• Assessment of Forthglade’s D2C technology landscape, including its architecture, operational integrations, data foundations, analytics capabilities, and scalability requirements

Forthglade is a UK-based premium natural dog food brand with more than 50 years of heritage. The company offers minimally processed, high-meat-content wet food, cold-pressed dry food, and treats through a diversified omnichannel model spanning its D2C webshop, Amazon and other online platforms, grocery, pet specialists, and wholesale. Its differentiated proposition combines natural ingredients, transparent communication, accessible value-for-quality pricing, and a strong focus on the relationship between people and their dogs.

Assisi Pet Care’s acquisition of Forthglade will add a scaled premium natural dog food brand with strong D2C capabilities to its portfolio. The combination is expected to create opportunities to accelerate e-commerce growth, strengthen Amazon and CRM capabilities, expand cross-selling across complementary food and treats brands, and build shared data and digital capabilities while preserving the distinct positioning of each brand.

Chris Schulze-Melander, CEO at Assisi Pet Care:

“We would like to thank the OMMAX team for their support throughout the transaction. Their integrated commercial and technology due diligence gave us a clear view of Forthglade’s market position, e-commerce performance, technology foundations, and the value creation opportunities available as part of Assisi Pet Care. The team’s in-depth analyses and collaborative approach supported our investment decision with confidence.”

Isabella Calderon Hoyos, Partner Strategy & Transactions at OMMAX, highlighted:

“We were delighted to support Assisi Pet Care in welcoming Forthglade to the Assisi Pet Care family and proud to demonstrate our deep sector expertise across pet care and D2C. By combining commercial, digital, and technology perspectives, we developed a comprehensive view of Forthglade’s differentiated brand proposition, attractive D2C economics, and future growth potential. We are proud to have supported Assisi Pet Care in assessing the transaction and identifying opportunities to strengthen e-commerce capabilities across the combined group.”

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About Forthglade

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Okehampton, Forthglade is one of the UK's leading premium natural pet food brands. The company manufactures high-quality, minimally processed wet and dry dog food from its state-of-the-art production facility in Devon. The company has been backed by IK Partners since it acquired a majority stake in 2020. Since then, the brand has established a highly diversified omnichannel distribution model across major grocery retailers, independent specialist pet stores, and rapidly growing D2C and online third-party channels. Under the leadership of David Cox (CEO), the business has successfully expanded its production capacity, accelerated its digital commerce footprint, and broadened its product offering to include cold-pressed dry food, treats, and supplements.

For more information, please visit https://forthglade.com/

About Assisi Pet Care

Headquartered in London, Assisi Pet Care is one of Europe's leading premium natural pet care platforms, bringing together high-quality dog and cat food and treats brands under one roof. Assisi operates manufacturing facilities in the UK and Poland, serving specialist pet, grocery and e-commerce customers across Europe. Its ambition is to build the leading house of natural pet care brands in Europe, helping pets live longer, healthier, happier lives.

For more information, please visit https://assisipetcare.com/

About OMMAX

OMMAX is a leading AI-first consultancy and AI-engineering platform specializing in AI strategy, business transformation, transaction advisory, and value creation in the age of AI. Founded in Munich in 2011, OMMAX serves large corporates, mid-sized companies, and private equity firms across Europe and the US, with more than 4,000 completed projects.