So what is the corporisation of the veterinary industry? It has suddenly taken a major foothold.
Independent Vetcare (IVC) said, in a record year, it had acquired its 500th practice “to become the UK’s market leader in veterinary care”.
IVC Group built from a platform of just 20 practices in 2011 to Britain’s largest (numerical) practice group and now employs more than 1,200 vets, and around 1,600 nurses and care workers across its sites.
The company puts its success down to “staying true to its founding philosophy”.
Group chief executive David Hillier explained: “We’ve always known practices deliver the best client and clinical care when they are led by their local clinical teams.
“We were founded by, and run for, vets, which is why so many former owners have chosen to stay on and run their businesses after they joined the group. While we’ve grown, we’ve never lost sight of the guiding principles that got us here and, if anything, we’ve built on them, ensuring we have the right support in place to nurture every practice as they joined.”
Testimonies
Mr Hillier added: “Key to our growth has been peer-to-peer testimonies; it’s a small profession and, over the past few years, vets have watched fellow colleagues join us, only to fall in love with the job again because we take away the headaches that come with running a modern practice.”
IVC’s acquisition of the eight-practice business West Midlands Vets on 21 December saw the group break the statistically significant 500-practice barrier, and it intends to continue adding more practices to its portfolio.
The Vet Service has numerous job roles and opportunities available within I.V.C. practices should you want to explore the corporate life further.
Contact [email protected] for further information.
