Inspired Pet Nutrition to acquire Ultra Premium Direct

Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) has announced that it has entered into exclusive discussions with Eurazeo regarding the sale of Ultra Premium Direct (UPD).

Founded in 2013, UPD has established itself in the French premium pet food market and is now recognised as the top D2C online brand in the segment already serving over 285k active customers.

Under the terms of this agreement, Eurazeo, Eutopia (historical minority shareholder) and other minority shareholders would sell their entire stake in UPD.

The finalisation of the transaction remains subject to the conclusion of the information and consultation process with the company’s trade unions, as well as approval from the competition authorities. It is expected to be finalised in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Since its investment, Eurazeo has actively supported UPD’s founders and management in strengthening its brand positioning, expanding its premium product range, and reinforcing its leadership team.

Eurazeo also backed key initiatives in omnichannel strategy, organisation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) enabling UPD to scale rapidly and solidify its market leadership with improved profitability.

Having announced the acquisition of Sopral last month, IPN’s proposed acquisition of UPD will create a major independent and international branded pet food platform in Europe with leading brands in both the UK and France.

Arthur van Benthem, CEO of IPN, said: “UPD has delivered impressive growth in both sales and profitability and represents a strong strategic addition to IPN. It brings with it a sophisticated, proven e-commerce platform with significant international growth potential, a rapidly expanding mono-brand store network, and another outstanding brand to our portfolio. The business is highly complementary to both IPN and Sopral.

“By combining UPD’s direct-to-consumer strengths with Sopral’s extensive manufacturing capabilities and IPN’s broader network and customer base, we unlock powerful opportunities to accelerate our ambitious growth plans across Europe. We look forward to working with our expanding team to realise this potential.”

Pierre Meignen, head of Eurazeo Elevate, added: “We are very proud to have supported the founders and management team of UPD through every key stage of their development and to have stood by their side in creating a French leader in the pet food ecosystem.

“We thank IPN for the trust they have shown in UPD and are confident that this partnership will enable the company to embark on a promising new phase of growth. This potential transaction perfectly illustrates the Eurazeo strategy to back future European leaders in the Lower Mid-Market Buyout space.”