NAYLOR AGILITY ACQUIRES FIRST CONTACT

2nd December 2024

YORKSHIRE based Naylor Agility, a UK manufacturer of high-quality agility equipment and a division of Naylor Specialist Plastics Ltd, has acquired established agility equipment-hire and sales business, First Contact.

The acquisition is the second to be completed by Naylor Agility this year and will enable Naylor Agility to further expand its product offering to include ‘contacts’ - dog walks, seesaws and A-frames - and weave poles.  Naylor Agility’s product range also includes high quality dog agility tunnels, soft walls and long jumps.

“We’re excited to welcome First Contact to the Naylor Agility family,” said John Grice, MD of Naylor Agility.  “First Contact is a trusted supplier of premium agility equipment and this acquisition aligns perfectly with our mission to improve the standard of agility equipment which is available in the UK.  Together, we will continue to innovate and to deliver the very latest solutions to enhance the sport of agility.”

Based in Deepcar, South Yorkshire, First Contact will benefit from additional resources and be able to offer a wider range of products to its customers.  The dedicated First Contact team trading as ‘Naylor Agility’ will also continue to offer their expertise in equipment hire to ensure competitors and their dogs receive the best possible competition experience. 

Hazel Higgins, co-founder of First Contact, said: “The time is now right to take First Contact to the next level and I am confident that this will happen with the support of Naylor Agility.  My team and I are very excited to be working with Naylor Agility, making the best agility equipment in the world and putting UK based manufacturing at the forefront of sport.”

Naylor Agility is based in Wombwell, Barnsley and is a division of Naylor Specialist Plastics Ltd, a fourth generation family-owned business. The company has been manufacturing dog agility tunnels since 1983 and has worked with First Contact since 2003, manufacturing tunnels for hire at events.  

First Contact was founded in 2003 and supplies dog agility and flyball equipment to individuals, clubs, training centres and rescue centres.  It has been at the forefront of dog ability innovation, introducing ground-breaking products including rubber-surfaced contact equipment, aluminium contact equipment and breakaway tyres.  The company is the sole supplier of agility equipment to The Royal Kennel Club and its events, Crufts, Discover Dogs, The Royal London Horse Show (formerly held at Olympia), the Kennel Club International Festival (the largest agility show in the world), The Young Kennel Club and the Agility Stakes quarter and semi-finals.