General News 4 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Sale of Acorn Pet Centres secures 153 jobs Acorn Pet Centres, the pet food retail chain which went into administration on 2nd September, has been sold in a deal that will secure 153 jobs in 24 stores throughout Scotland. The deal, which is for an undisclosed sum, will see Acorn Pet Centres continue to be run by Douglas Mutter, the former Managing Director. Administrators Tenon Recovery said there had been a great deal of interest in the company, with 40 enquiries and a number of strong bids. Joint administrator Tom MacLennan, Head of Tenon Recovery in Scotland, commented: " We are delighted to have secured the sale of Acorn Pet Centres and that 153 jobs will be saved as a result of the deal. The company was in administration for just 10 weeks, and achieving a sale in a diffi cult market is an excellent result. My team and I would like to wish the new owners every success with their plans for developing the business, and to thank the staff, customers and suppliers who continued to support the company throughout." Douglas Mutter added: " In 25 years we built Acorn Pet Centres into one of the UK's leading pet retail chains. We are therefore delighted to have acquired the business, and have exciting plans to develop the company, including hopefully recruiting additional staff in due course as we grow the business." ¦ Customer feedback spurs improvements to HiLife ' 60%' cat food range Research among regular purchasers has prompted a series of improvements to Town & Country Petfoods' HiLife ' 60%' cat food pouch range. Changes being introduced include improved and new recipes, with the only additions to the 60% levels of the main meat or fi sh ingredients being easily digestible, low allergen and natural. These include the ' HiLife Naturals' package: fi sh oil as a natural source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, essential vitamins and minerals from natural seaweed, natural prebiotic chicory to aid the digestive process and natural antioxidant green tea extract. There are no artifi cial additives, colours or preservatives. The relaunched HiLife ' 60%' range provides complete nutrition through every lifestage and comprises multipacks of twelve, each with selections of three improved recipes. There are two adult multipacks, Poultry Collection and Ocean Assortment together with the revamped Kitten/ Junior Collection, which provides all the nutrition needed from weaning to around 18 months and, for less active and older cats from about seven years, the Senior Selection. At the same time, HiLife 70% Tuna Flakes in a 170g can has also been relaunched with recipe improvements similar to the ' 60%' range. Peter Parkinson, Town & Country Petfoods Marketing Director said: " We regularly monitor the opinions of our customers. These improvements refl ect the views of the huge number of loyal HiLife ' 60%' and ' 70%' regular purchasers as well as the already signifi cant and growing demand for cat and dog foods made with natural ingredients. " And I'm delighted to say we have been able to make those improvements without increasing prices." Further information is available from Town & Country Petfoods on 01664 563209. ¦

www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 5 General News Glee 2010 rebookings ahead of Glee 2009 60% of fl oor space already reserved Glee organisers have confi rmed that only six weeks after the 2009 show, rebooking applications for Glee 2010 are ahead of this time last year; with over half of the 2009 fl oor space already reserved. The rebooking requests refl ect strong, continued support from members of the key industry trade associations. More than 60 per cent of association members that exhibited at Glee 2009 have already submitted their rebooking applications for Glee 2010. Glee's new, loyalty- based initiatives such an additional 10 per cent of fl oor space free of charge have also proved extremely popular, with over 85 per cent of exhibitors taking advantage of the opportunity. Daniel Thurlow, Glee show director, said: " We are working with our exhibitors to ensure that Glee 2010 is another strong event, and it's great to see that our initiatives to reward loyal exhibitors are being so well received. With rebooking so strong this can only be a positive thing for both suppliers and visiting buyers. We are also extremely pleased by the response from both major and emerging brands, and we look forward to building on this going forwards." For more information about Glee 2010, or to fi nd out how to reserve your exhibition space, call 01923 690 663 or visit www. gleebirmingham. com ¦ Race with a difference Arden Grange are pleased to announce the continuation of their headline sponsorship of the biggest event in the British Husky calendar, the world famous Arden Grange & Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain Aviemore Sled Dog Rally 2010. On 23rd and 24th January 2010, ' mushers' from throughout the UK will be gathering in the forests around Aviemore, Scotland to run on the gruelling four mile track around Loch Morlich in the shadow of the Cairngorms. Organised by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain, the event is the biggest gathering of its kind in the UK. Sled dogs come from as far as the Isle of Wight and Devon for one of the most challenging and prestigious of the British Siberian Husky Club's series of rallies. Neal Dobbin, National Sales Manager at Arden Grange said, " We are proud to sponsor what is a fantastic event for the teams and spectators alike. As any working dog owner will tell you, Super Premium quality nutrition is paramount to achieving optimum performance, which is why our food fi ts fantastically with this event as many of the dogs competing are fed on our Premium or Performance diets." All the recipes in the Arden Grange range of complete dog foods are hypoallergenic and free from wheat-gluten, dairy products, beef, soya, artifi cial colourings, fl avourings and preservatives. Furthermore, with some products having a lower carbohydrate value and a high fat and protein content, Arden Grange is able to provide the peak vitality and stamina required for these dogs to fulfi l their original function. In addition to a large presence at the event, Arden Grange will be supporting the run up to the event with a consumer marketing campaign. For more information contact Arden Grange on 01273 833390 or email enquiries@ ardengrange. com ¦ Steve Taylor