Phillips Pet Food & Supplies sent a letter to customers Friday that had retailers buzzing. It announced a “joint venture” between Phillips and Central Garden & Pet, with plans for the new company to operate independently under the Phillips brand. Blaine Phillips, CEO and Chairman of Phillips, will be at the helm.
The letter reads:
Dear Valued Customers,
We’re pleased to share important news about a strategic partnership that will strengthen our ability to support your business and drive growth together.
Phillips Pet and Central Garden & Pet have signed an agreement to form a joint venture. This partnership brings together two complementary organizations with a shared commitment to excellence, creating a stronger platform to serve you and your customers more effectively.
The new company will operate independently under the Phillips brand, combining the distribution strengths of both Phillips and Central Pet. This integration will simplify operations, expand our national reach, and enhance our ability to deliver the products, service, and consistency you rely on.
Together, we will continue to invest in a best-in-class distribution platform—with no disruption to your current service levels or ordering processes—and a continued focus on reliability and execution.
Phillips, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Easton, Pennsylvania, operates 10 distribution centers across the United States and serves a broad network of pet care providers. Combined with Central’s capabilities, we are confident this joint venture will create new opportunities to grow together, expand distribution, and better meet evolving consumer demand.
The new business will be led by Blaine Phillips, CEO and Chairman of Phillips, who has spent decades building the company into a leading national distributor in the pet specialty channel. Known for his independent customer-first approach and deep industry relationships, he brings proven leadership and experience to guide this next phase of growth.
We look forward to this exciting new chapter and to continuing our partnership with you. If you have any questions, your usual Phillips contact will be happy to assist.
There are no changes to your Phillips account. If you have a Central account, please look for their communication on changes to your account.
Thank you for your continued partnership.
Phillips Pet Food & Supplies
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Retailers in the PETS+ Facebook Community speculated on the impact this partnership will have on their businesses. Among the questions posed were whether open orders with Central would be impacted, if all Central products would remain available through Phillips, and would Central distribution centers near Phillips distribution centers would remain open. Retailers also expressed concern for their Central reps’ continued employment.
We have reached out to Phillips Pet and Central for additional information.
