McLean, Virginia-based Mars, best known for its candy empire including M&Ms and Snickers bars, also owns a large pet care business, and it’s adding to it with a $1.3 billion acquisition of veterinary diagnostic company Heska.
Mars’ pet care business is one of the largest in the country. Its pet food brands include Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas. It also owns a growing chain of pet hospitals and pet diagnostic services.
Heska will become part of Mars’ Science and Diagnostics division of Mars Petcare.
Loveland, Colorado-based Heska was founded in 1988. It manufactures, markets and supports diagnostic and specialty solutions for veterinary practitioners.
Heska had $257.3 million in revenue for 2022. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2023.
Mars is the largest privately-held company in the D.C. region, with annual sales of $45 billion.
