Who owns ZU?
ZU is owned by Sonae (Portugal, Euronext Lisbon: SON), which has owned the brand since 2025.[1]
Sonae owns 81% of ZU rather than all of it.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Sonae Integrated Annual Report 2025, Sonae, SGPS, S.A, 1 April 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Sonae, SGPS, S.A. (81% stake) reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇵🇹 Portugal, Maia
- Origin
- 🇵🇹 Portugal
- Category
- Pet & animal care › Pet supplies & services › Pet supplies
- Parent ticker
- Euronext Lisbon: SON
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About ZU
ZU is the Portuguese pet care retail brand that moved between two Sonae businesses in December 2025, when Musti bought it from MC. At the time of the transfer it operated 65 stores in Portugal, 24 of them with integrated veterinary clinics, and it has kept its own name, management team and organisational structure as well as its place in the Cartão Continente loyalty programme.
Ownership timeline of ZU
Where ZU sits in Sonae
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Sonae ownership tree →
See the full Sonae brand portfolio (10) →
Other brands owned by Sonae
Sonae controls 10 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in pet & animal care.
Also in pet & animal care
Other brands in pet supplies, and who owns them
The 30 brands in pet supplies on Brandtree belong to 16 owners. The largest is Tractor Supply, with 3; Sonae has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Aqueon | Central Garden & Pet | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Frisco | Chewy | 🇺🇸 United States |
| 4health | Tractor Supply | 🇺🇸 United States |
| BarkBox | BARK | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Fresh Step | Clorox | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Melo Pet & Garden | Grupo Melo | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| Cat's Pride | Oil-Dri | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Reddy | Petco | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Sonae
Sonae is a publicly listed company headquartered in Maia, Portugal, founded in 1959. Brandtree records 10 brands under its control, and it is listed as Euronext Lisbon: SON.
Sonae was founded in 1959 as a wood-based panel producer in northern Portugal, went public in 1983, and now describes itself as an investment company that takes controlling stakes and shapes strategy from the board rather than running its companies day to day. Its shares trade on Euronext Lisbon under ISIN PTSON0AM0001; Efanor Investimentos held 53.05 per cent at the end of 2025. It reports six segments: MC, the Portuguese food retail and health and beauty business; Worten in electronics; Musti in Nordic pet retail; Sierra in real estate; Bright Pixel in technology investment; and a 37.4 per cent holding in the telecoms operator NOS.
🇵🇹 ZU and other Portuguese brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 55 brands that began in Portugal. 8 of them (15%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; ZU is not one of them.
- Amanhecer — Jerónimo Martins 🇵🇹
- Amoos — Semapa 🇵🇹
- Azores Airlines — SATA 🇵🇹
- Benfica TV — Sport Lisboa e Benfica 🇵🇹
- Bordallo Pinheiro — NCFGEST 🇵🇹
- Casa Ferreirinha — Sogrape 🇵🇹
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of ZU?
The parent company of ZU is Sonae, a publicly listed company headquartered in Portugal.
Is ZU Portuguese?
Yes. ZU originated in Portugal and its owner, Sonae, is also headquartered in Portugal.
Since when has Sonae owned ZU?
Sonae has owned ZU since 2025.
Is ZU still owned by Sonae?
Yes. As of 20 September 2026, ZU is still owned by Sonae (81% stake). The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Sonae Integrated Annual Report 2025 — Sonae, SGPS, S.A., Annual report, published 1 April 2026; retrieved 20 September 2026.
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