Currently more than 50% of UK practices are now in corporate hands – your current practice may even be owned thus, as these buy-outs are not always made obvious. The ‘family owned’ Mars Corporation (who produce Pedigree Chum, & Whiskas and the like) are the world’s biggest vet group with over 3000 practices globally (and 45% of the US vet practices). Their in-road into the UK market included purchasing the Linnaes veterinary group from private equity firm ‘Sovereign Capital Partners’. They now have over 180 pratices across the UK employing around 2000 vets.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many excellent dedicated vets working in excellent corporate practices. However I’m not sure that many pet-owners are aware of the way things are changing, and it worries me that the vet profession will soon be owned by a handful of big businesses offering little independent client choice.
So we are very much non-corporate, with Pete and Jill Coleshaw the sole owners, with no current intent to change.
Examples of corporate–owned vet practices and associated businesses: Southern Counties Veterinary and Anderson Moores Specialists, Pets at Home, Vets4Pets, Companion Care, CVS, The Vets/Medicare, Hampton Park Vets, the ironically-named Independent Vet Care (IVC) and the out-of-hours service provider Vets Now.