According to Belgian newspaper reports, the investor group Verlinvest has acquired around half of the shares in the pet store chain Tom & Co. The remainder still belong to founders Thierry Le Grelle and Lionel Desclée along with their partner Philippe Deschamps, the reports state. Approval for the deal still has to be given by the competition authorities.
Tom & Co. operates 180 stores in Belgium and France. It aims to increase this number to 250 by 2026. The retailer grew its sales by 10 per cent in 2021 to 264 mio euros.
Verlinvest is a Belgian company that invests chiefly in fast-growing companies in the area of consumer goods, health and digital technologies. A few years ago the investor also had an interest in the US online pet supplies retailer Chewy.
