Five premium brands, one strategic partner

As consolidation reshapes the global pet industry, specialist retailers face a clear choice: compete on price or compete on proposition. Supermarkets are expanding premium ranges. Online marketplaces accelerate price comparison. Vertically integrated brands increasingly control both product and distribution. For independent pet retailers, differentiation has never mattered more.

At Interzoo, Symply Group will present five premium brands together on a unified stand for the first time. According to James Milbourne, Joint Managing Director, this is not about scale for its own sake, but about strengthening the specialist channel.

“We’re building structure that strengthens margin, simplifies operations and gives independent retailers clearer positioning,” he says.

Built from the shop floor

Symply Group’s roots remain close to independent retail. Founder Eddie Milbourne began as a pet shop owner in the south of England. Frustrated by inconsistent product quality, he started importing premium US brands into the UK and became one of the largest importers of Nutro.

When that brand was later acquired by a multinational corporation, he witnessed how reformulation and corporate shifts can alter product integrity – and how specialist retailers can lose control of the brands they helped build.

That experience shaped the principles that still define the Group:

• Strengthen the specialist channel
• Maintain product integrity
• Build brands that cannot be substituted by mass retail

Today, Symply Group remains 100% family-owned, operates in 45 countries and supports more than 10,000 independent retailers globally.

“Our brands were built in independent stores and for the customers they serve,” says Milbourne. “We grow alongside our retail partners, not at their expense.”

A portfolio built on positioning, not price

Rather than competing on discount cycles, Symply Group focuses on clear category architecture. The Group brings together five complementary premium brands offering possibilities for every customer type:

• Canagan: the original ancestral diet. Grain-free nutrition developed following retailer demand
• Symply: trusted, accessible premium nutrition
• Tribal: cold-pressed, fresh meat, minimally processed recipes
• McAdams: ethically sourced, high-welfare foods
• Yora: sustainable insect protein superfood

Each brand occupies a defined role, enabling retailers to offer trade-up pathways and distinct solutions within premium nutrition. Crucially, the Group’s brands are not distributed through supermarkets. There is no mass retail dilution and no price-led race to the bottom. For specialist retailers, that exclusivity translates into stronger margins and preserved brand equity.

“Working with Symply Group allows us to offer products our customers genuinely cannot find elsewhere,” says Sarah Bourne, Purchasing Director of Pets Corner in the UK. “That exclusivity strengthens our proposition.”

Strategic simplicity

Managing multiple premium suppliers often means fragmented account management, varying commercial terms and operational complexity.

By consolidating five differentiated propositions under one Group relationship, Symply simplifies that structure, without limiting quality or choice.

“For us, it’s a perfect partnership,” says Pets Corner. “We can offer grain-free, cold-pressed, sustainable and ethically sourced products from one Group. It reduces complexity while giving us more ways to serve customers.”

This model offers:

• Reduced supplier management burden
• Clearer range architecture
• Coordinated marketing support
• Greater strategic alignment

Rather than diluting brand identity, the unified structure strengthens it.

Values-led differentiation

Independent retailers rarely win long-term by reacting to short-term discount pressure. Symply Group’s philosophy is that sustainable growth is values-led – built around sourcing, integrity and brand story.

The business has been carbon neutral since 2020, generates solar energy at its UK headquarters and distribution centre, and supports environmental initiatives including rainforest protection projects in Cambodia.

For retailers, this is not simply corporate responsibility. It is commercial relevance.

“Our customers increasingly ask about sustainability and sourcing,” says Kevin Massart, founder of Belgian premium retail chain Cats & Dogs. “Having brands like Yora and McAdams within the same Group allows us to answer those questions with clarity.”

A long-term partnership model

Symply Group remains committed to specialist retail.

Canagan itself was developed following requests from one of the Group’s earliest retail partners – an example of how innovation is shaped by in-store conversations.

“Retailers are closest to the customer,” says Milbourne. “When they identify a need, we listen.” Operating internationally while remaining family-owned allows the Group to combine global reach with long-term stability, a balance valued by independent retailers and distributors alike.

Interzoo 2026

At Interzoo, Symply Group will bring its brands together while preserving each brand’s distinct identity.

As the market continues to evolve, the Group believes the specialist channel has a strong future, provided it is supported by protected distribution, clear positioning and strategic partnership.

“Independent pet retailers are the backbone of our industry,” says Milbourne. “Our role is to provide the brands, structure and support that help them stand apart and grow.”

At Interzoo 2026, Symply Group invites specialist retailers and international partners to explore how five premium brands under one strategic partnership can reduce complexity, strengthen margin and unlock long-term growth.

Interzoo: Hall 9, Booth 405