ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Nestlé Purina PetCare has acquired a majority stake in Tails.com, a direct-to-consumer, tailor-made dog nutrition business based in the U.K. With the rapid growth of personalized pet nutrition, as well as subscription services, Nestlé Purina’s shareholding in this digital-first business offers significant growth opportunities for both companies.

Launched in 2014, Tails.com brought tailored dog nutrition to consumers at competitive prices. Powered by a proprietary nutritional algorithm developed by veterinarians, nutritionists and software engineers, the company now feeds more than 100,000 dogs in the U.K. Tails.com customers also benefit from a convenient subscription service with home delivery, as well as access to an in-house nutrition support team.

Bernard Meunier, CEO, Nestlé Purina PetCare; Europe, Middle East and North America, said, “Personalized pet nutrition, along with direct-to-consumer subscription services, are 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’s expansion plans in the U.K. and beyond.”

Nestlé Purina said 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.

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