Planet Dog, the Westbrook-based dog-products company founded in 1997, has been acquired by Outward Hound, a portfolio company of a Boston-based private equity firm.
Outward Hound, based outside Denver, Colo., on Oct. 16 announced that it had acquired Planet Dog for an undisclosed sum. Outward Hound, itself a dog-focused pet-products company, was acquired in December 2017 by J.W. Childs Associates, a Boston-based private equity firm focused on the specialty retail and consumer products sectors.
Planet Dog, which is headquartered in Westbrook but has its flagship store on Marginal Way in Portland, was founded by Alex Fisher in 1997. It has created a reputation for its eco-friendly dog products, including the Orbee-Tuff line of toys. Fisher did not respond to an email from Maine Startups Insider requesting more information on the acquisition.
“We are excited to transition the Planet Dog brand and our socially responsible mission to the Outward Hound team,” Fisher, who most recently served as Planet Dog’s chief creative officer, said in the announcement. “They have the innovation, experience and financial resources to take our brand and mission of community, environment and people to the next level. We look forward to seeing their team get dogs wagging their tails around the world using our products.”
The market for dog and cat toys is estimated to surpass $1 billion, according to a recent report from research firm Packaged Facts.
Kyle Hansen, Outward Hound’s founder, said Planet Dog has a reputation for creating some of the most well-known and innovative U.S.A.-made products in the pet industry.
“Our new partnership strengthens our goal to become the leading vendor in the dog toy category,” Hansen said in the announcement.
Outward Hound has been rolling up dog-focused product companies for the past several years. In the three years before being acquired by J.W. Childs in December 2017, it made four acquisitions: Petstages, Dublin Dog, Nina Ottosson and Bionic. Planet Dog is its third acquisition since being acquired. In July, it acquired Wholesome Pride, a dog-treat company, and in August it acquired Charming Pet, another dog-toy company. All these brands now live under the Outward Hound umbrella.
It’s unclear what, if any, impacts the acquisition will have on Planet Dog’s local operations.
