£75,000 loan boosts vet centre
A CITY veterinary centre has been given a boost after securing funding from Lloyds TSB Commercial.
Leeds-based Aire Veterinary Centre has completed an extensive renovation programme and is set to increase capacity by 15% with the help of a £75,000 loan.
Established in the 1940s, the business was bought by Nathalie Declunder in 2001 and offers consultations, radiography, acupuncture and surgery for 2,700 animals each year.
The funding helped build new lab facilities and provide piped anaesthetic gases, the replacement of surgery and laundry equipment, new flooring, improved lighting, a new sterile operating theatre and air conditioning and ventilation.
The centre is now targeting a healthy increase in turnover this year, as the same rise was achieved following the completion of the initial renovation of the front of the surgery in 2006.
Ms Declunder said: “Completing the renovation work was a large project and has taken a number of years, but it’s fantastic to finally show our customers the full range of facilities on offer and the results of all our hard work.
“Although not visible to our customers on a day-to-day basis, the changed layout at the back of the centre is a real boost to the practice and will enable us to continue to offer the highest standards of care to the animals we treat.”
Steve Midgley, healthcare relationship manager for Lloyds TSB Commercial, said: “Veterinary practices have not been immune from the economic slump, but by continuing to invest in the business Nathalie has ensured the centre has the capacity to expand on the back of its excellent reputation and is in a strong position to capitalise on the upturn.”
