York veterinary group boosts growth with acquisition of online pet care retailer

An online supplier of products and prescriptions for pet owners has been acquired by a York veterinary group.

VetUK was set up in Thirsk in 2005 as a supplier of pet medications in the UK and Europe and dispatches 2500-3000 orders daily.

Its addition to the VetPartners group, aided by investment company BC Partners, will bring accessibility to an online pharmacy for clients at the 160 practices it owns around the country.

Jo Malone, CEO of VetPartners, commented: “The sale of essentials like pet foods and medicine has surged during lockdown, partly due to the huge increase in pet ownership, and we want to improve our client experience by enabling them to order products online like so many other sectors.

“The team at VetUK are passionate about what they do and we look forward to working with them and further developing VetUK.”

This is the latest addition to the multiformity of the company’s services, with March this year seeing VetPartners acquire PCS Pet Cremation Services, which offers cremation, burial and memorial services for UK veterinary practice clients.

VetUK currently has 38 employees, with 7,500 available pet care products. Already operating in a rapidly expanding area of e-commerce, 2020 saw a further sales increase of 45%, with more clients ordering online.

Managing director and founder Iain Booth said: “Joining VetPartners is exciting for VetUK as we will be taking the company to a new level and it will open up a new customer base for both parties.

“People want products at the push of a button and that has accelerated during the pandemic as four to five years’ growth for us was condensed into one year.”