Petmate Acquires Kennel-Aire

Petmate, a portfolio company of Chicago-based private equity investment firm Wind Point Partners, today announced that it has acquired Kennel-Aire.

Petmate manufactures and markets over 4,000 pet products, including carriers, shelters, collars & leashes, feeding & watering systems, toys and pet beds under well-known brands including Bamboo, Booda, Dogzilla, Fat Cat and LeBistro. Wind Point acquired Petmate in January 2011 in partnership with CEO Joe Messner. Wind Point previously partnered with Joe in 1999 to acquire Bushnell Performance Optics, which it successfully divested in 2007.

Kennel-Aire, a manufacturer of plastic carriers and kennels, is Petmate’s second acquisition. Petmate acquired Munchkin, Inc.’s Fat Cat and Bamboo product lines in January.

Joe Messner, CEO of Petmate, stated, “A key element of our value creation plan is acquiring well positioned businesses and product lines that help strengthen and complement Petmate’s existing product offerings. The Kennel-Aire acquisition is an excellent fit with our strategy, because it will broaden our carrier and kennel product lines and enhance our position among retailers, particularly in the online market.”

Paul Peterson, a principal at Wind Point, commented, “We partnered with Joe on the Petmate platform because of his track record of assembling and growing a diverse product portfolio. The Kennel-Aire acquisition is an exciting opportunity for Joe and his team to expand the product portfolio and drive growth.”