Mars to acquire AniCura from Nordic Capital

Mars Petcare employs around 50,000 veterinary professionals across VCA, Banfield Pet Hospital, BluePearl, Pet Partners and Linnaeus, and looks after over 10 million pets each year.
Just last week it announced the acquisition of Linnaeus, and now it has announced the acquisition of AniCura, founded in 2011 through a merger of animal hospitals in the Nordic region. It has 200 animal hospitals in 7 European countries, employing over 4,000 veterinary professionals.
Poul Weihrauch, president of Mars Petcare, said: “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 US 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. 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.”
Peter Dahlberg, chief executive at AniCura, said: “It was clear from early on 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.”