AniCura to join family of Mars Petcare’s veterinary businesses VCA™, BANFIELD™ Pet Hospital, BLUEPEARL™, PET PARTNERS™ and Linnaeus
Mars Petcare today announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire AniCura from Nordic Capital, Fidelio Capital and the remaining minority shareholders of AniCura. On completion of the transaction, AniCura will join the family of Mars Petcare’s veterinary health business units and will continue to pursue the expansion of its brand and high quality standards of medicine in Europe.
AniCura was founded in 2011 as the first merger of animal hospitals in the Nordic region. Since then, it has grown to become a role model for high-quality, specialized veterinary care for companion animals. AniCura now has more than 4,000 veterinary professionals, and 200 animal hospitals in seven countries across Europe. Its vision is to provide a first-class customer experience for pet owners and referring veterinarians alike.
The acquisition of AniCura represents Mars Petcare’s strategic entry into the European veterinary care sector. It brings together Mars Petcare’s notable veterinary expertise with AniCura’s well-established European business. This follows the announcement earlier in June 2018 that Linnaeus – a high-quality provider of veterinary care based in the UK – will also join Mars Petcare and will become a unit within Mars Petcare’s Veterinary Health Group.
Mars Petcare has been providing veterinary care since 1994 when it first began partnering with BANFIELD™ Pet Hospital. Today, it employs approximately 50,000 veterinary professionals and cares for more than 10 million pets annually. AniCura will join the family of Mars Petcare’s veterinary businesses alongside VCA™, BANFIELD™ Pet Hospital, BLUEPEARL™, PET PARTNERS™ and Linnaeus. Mars Petcare’s purpose is to create A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS and it is building upon and leveraging capabilities across its pet businesses to bring this to life. This includes food & nutrition, research, technology, and veterinary expertise – from wellness and prevention, through all aspects of veterinary care.
“Mars Petcare has a long and global history of providing nutrition, veterinary care and science for pets across the globe. Our veterinary business until now has been in the United States and Canada. Europe is the second largest region in the world for pet care, and European pet care is expected to grow significantly over the coming years. There is a great opportunity to address growing demand by providing high quality, consistent veterinary care across Europe”, said Poul Weihrauch, President, Mars Petcare. “Together, Mars Petcare and AniCura will both be in a position to benefit from each other’s best practices and competencies, improving clinical practice and continuing to advance the veterinary profession in both North America and Europe. This will support us in our purpose to create A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.”
AniCura is well renowned for practicing quality medicine across its 200 animal hospitals and for the two million pets it cares for every year. It has well-regarded specialist care focus and a highly-qualified team, employing a high share of Diplomates from the European College across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
“Over the past years, with support from Nordic Capital and the additional owners, AniCura has grown to become a leading European provider of high-quality veterinary care, well-known for its focus on people, customer care and quality. The company is now ready to take the next step in its development”, said Peter Dahlberg, Chief Executive Officer, AniCura. “It was clear from early on that Mars Petcare shared our values of providing high-quality veterinary care and a first-class customer experience, and we are pleased to have found a long-term owner for AniCura to further improve the quality of European veterinary care”.
Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. It is expected that the transaction will close in Q4 2018.
On completion of the deal, AniCura’s existing management will continue to lead the business. As part of the Mars Petcare family, AniCura will continue with the expansion of its brand and high quality standards of medicine in Europe. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
J.P. Morgan Securities plc acted as financial adviser and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and Cederquist acted as legal counsel to Mars.