Central Garden & Pet Company
Acquisitions
6
Major Deals Covered
$532M
Disclosed Deal Value
Central Garden & Pet's largest disclosed acquisition here is Green Garden Products for $532M in 2021. This page covers 6 major deals from 1998 to 2026, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington Seed | 1998 | Undisclosed | Added a leading grass seed and wild bird feed brand to anchor the Garden business. |
| Farnam Companies | 2006 | Undisclosed | Entered equine and animal health products. |
| Green Garden Products | 2021 | $532.0M | Added Ferry-Morse and other packet seed brands, making Central a leader in vegetable and flower seed packets. |
| TDBBS | 2023 | Undisclosed | Added premium natural dog chews and treats, bought from Bregal Partners. |
| Champion USA (U.S. assets) | 2025 | Undisclosed | Added the JustiFLY cattle fly-control line to Central's animal health business. |
| TRIXIE Heimtierbedarf (80% stake, pending) | 2026 | Undisclosed | Agreed July 2026 for ~$384 million (EUR 340 million) at closing plus up to $67.8 million (EUR 60 million) in earn-outs; gives Central a European pet supplies platform serving 30,000+ retailers. Closing expected in the first half of fiscal 2027. |
2026
Agreed July 2026 for ~$384 million (EUR 340 million) at closing plus up to $67.8 million (EUR 60 million) in earn-outs; gives Central a European pet supplies platform serving 30,000+ retailers. Closing expected in the first half of fiscal 2027.
2025
Added the JustiFLY cattle fly-control line to Central's animal health business.
2023
Added premium natural dog chews and treats, bought from Bregal Partners.
2021
$532M
Added Ferry-Morse and other packet seed brands, making Central a leader in vegetable and flower seed packets.
2006
Entered equine and animal health products.
1998
Added a leading grass seed and wild bird feed brand to anchor the Garden business.
Central's Central to Home strategy rests on three levers: build and grow its consumer brands, take cost out through productivity and footprint consolidation, and add brands through acquisitions. Recent deals show the pattern: TDBBS (premium natural dog chews, 2023), the U.S. assets of cattle fly-control company Champion USA and its JustiFLY line (December 2025), and the pending majority stake in TRIXIE (announced July 2026). At the same time the company is exiting lower-margin activities, such as the 2026 move of pet distribution into a joint venture with Phillips Pet Food & Supplies.
Central makes money by manufacturing and marketing its own pet and garden brands and selling them to retailers. The Pet segment covers dog and cat treats and chews, toys, small-animal and pet bird food, aquatics, equine and livestock health products (Farnam, Champion's JustiFLY) and pet beds. The Garden segment covers grass seed, wild bird feed, fertilizers, insect and weed controls, packet seeds and live plants. For decades Central also distributed other companies' products, but in 2026 it moved its lower-margin pet distribution operation into a joint venture with Phillips Pet Food & Supplies so the company could concentrate on owned brands. Pet demand is fairly steady year-round, while Garden sales are concentrated in the spring selling season.
Central acquired Madison, Georgia-based Pennington Seed in 1998, making grass seed and wild bird feed core parts of its Garden business.
The 2006 purchase of Farnam Companies took Central into equine and animal health products, a category it extended in 2025 with Champion USA's JustiFLY line.
In February 2021, Central acquired Green Garden Products (Ferry-Morse, American Seed) for $532 million in cash, making Central the leading provider of packet vegetable and flower seeds and seed starting supplies in North America.
In July 2026 Central agreed to buy 80% of TRIXIE Heimtierbedarf for ~$384 million (EUR 340 million) at closing plus up to $67.8 million (EUR 60 million) in earn-outs. TRIXIE serves more than 30,000 pet retailers with over 6,000 products; closing is expected in the first half of fiscal 2027.
Central acquired premium dog chew maker TDBBS from Bregal Partners in 2023 and the U.S. assets of cattle fly-control company Champion USA in December 2025.
In the late 1990s Central bought Kaytee, Four Paws and Nylabone, forming the base of its branded Pet segment.
Central funds deals with cash on hand, its revolving credit facility and senior notes; it ended fiscal 2025 with a record cash position.
Central targets profitable pet and garden consumer brands with strong brand equity, #1 or #2 category market positions, defensible intellectual property, and clear cost or distribution synergies across its existing network.
The company is an absolute serial acquirer, owning massive brands like Nylabone (dog chews), Kaytee (bird seed), Farnam (horse care), and Pennington (grass seed) through decades of aggressive M&A.
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