Assisi Pet Care Group has made its first acquisition since receiving US private equity investment earlier this year, with the buyout of UK-based Burns Pet Nutrition.

The Burns brand of petfood primarily produces quality dry and wet dogfood products, as well as its recently introduced range of products for cats.

Burns was founded 30 years ago by qualified vet John Burns, who developed formulations focused on pet health.

The acquisition for an undisclosed sum follows Chicago-based private equity firm Wind Point Partners buying Assisi Pet Care in October.

Assisi was established in 2020 as a platform to acquire, integrate and grow petfood and treat companies and has a stable of branded and private label products, including HiLife and Hollings.

John Burns commented: “After 30 years of owning and growing Burns Pet Nutrition I feel that is time for me to retire and hand over the reins. It has been a joyful and, at times, difficult journey I have had a great deal of support from many people and organisations over the years and I would like to extend my grateful thanks to all of them.

”I am delighted that Assisi Pet Care is a good fit for Burns and they will grow the Burns brand in a responsible, ethical way.”

Peter Mangion, founder and CEO of Assisi Pet Care added: “The Burns brand is a perfect fit for Assisi in that animal health and well-being are central to the brand’s proposition.

“We look forward to working with our new colleagues as we integrate the Burns brand into the Assisi portfolio and strengthen our offer to our customers across Europe. The acquisition of Burns Pet Nutrition is the first transaction since the recent investment in Assisi by Wind Point Partners and signals our commitment to execute on our growth strategy in the European Pet Care market”.