Pedigree Wholesale has agreed a deal to buy 18 of the 25 Just for Pets stores, saving 180 jobs in the process.

The company, which acquired Just for Pets for an undisclosed sum, said it would “with regret” close seven sites in Northampton, Reading, Wellington and Nottingham, Bessie & Boo (Evesham), Burton upon Trent and Yardley.

Steve Brown, managing director of Pedigree Wholesale, said the move was intended to reinforce the company’s commitment to investing and driving innovation within the pet sector.

Mr Brown added: “To ensure our core wholesale business remains committed and focused on supporting our existing customers we’ve created a brand-new company, PSR Trading Limited which will be dedicated to operating Just for Pets. For our wholesale customers we will be announcing further significant investment which will directly support them.

“We are confident that the addition of Just for Pets to the Pedigree Wholesale business creates the opportunity to development of our product range and through even greater economy of scale and buying power we can achieve cost savings which we believe will also benefit all wholesale customers.”

Wynnstay announced last month that the 25-store Just for Pets chain was to go into administration.