Expanding veterinary group acquires national farm veterinary business
A York-based veterinary group has completed the acquisition of a national farm veterinary business.
VetPartners purchased LLM Farm Vets, for an undisclosed sum, to strengthen its Farm Group.
VetPartners now owns 99 veterinary practices, including 75 small animal practices, 13 mixed practices, six equine practices and five farm practices. VetPartners also owns a research dairy, laboratory, veterinary nursing school and locum agency.
Two members of the LLM Farm Vets team have taken up senior roles at VetPartners. Ian Cure has been appointed Farm Director and Den Leonard becomes Ruminant Commercial Director.
LLM Farm Vets covers four livestock regions in the UK – the Midlands, North Wales, Lancashire and Derbyshire.
Previously Lambert, Leonard and May, the company’s main practice is in Whitchurch, Shropshire, from where they cover Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire and North Wales. It also has two micro sites at Eccleshall and Wrexham.
In Lancashire, LLM Farm Vets operates from a main site in Broughton, near Preston, and a micro site in Clitheroe. The firm’s newest practice in Bakewell, Derbyshire, opened in August 2018.
Jo Malone, VetPartners CEO, said: “We now have some of the best veterinary businesses from each species within our group. The next 12 months will see further growth in each of our species groups, as well as mixed practices, both in the UK and Europe.
“We are committed to our growing farm group, which will bring benefits of scale, local support for our teams and access to a wide range of excellent specialist services. We have attracted leading equine practices to set the tone on the standard of care and make it more appealing to other equine practices who want to be part of a bigger group.”
Vet Ian Cure of LLM Farm Vets, added: “It wasn’t our plan to join a group, but when we met with Jo, we found that VetPartners shared our values and our vision for the future of the profession, which made us enthusiastic to be part of their journey.
“We wanted to be part of their growing farm group and help to drive it forward. Another key factor in our decision to join VetPartners is that they are part-owned and run by vets and we believe that will be a huge advantage going forward.”
