Pets At Home Acquire Veterinary Telehealth Provider, The Vet Connection
3 years ago 
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Pets at Home is acquiring The Vet Connection, the UK’s largest independent veterinary telehealth provider, in a £15m deal.
The acquisition will enable the group to provide further support to its veterinary colleagues and meet the ever-growing demand for virtual, 24/7 services.
Founded in 2002, The Vet Connection (TVC) delivers on-demand, expert veterinary telehealth advice, triage and ancillary services to pet owners, handling more than one million telehealth calls since launch.
The business works with independent and corporate brands across the UK to provide a customisable range of solutions, from video consultations and live web chat to bereavement support, acting as an online extension for the services provided by each of these companies.
Pets at Home is initially planning to pilot this service within a selection of company-owned practices, with the potential to also offer this service within its JVP estate.
Peter Pritchard, Group Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“The acquisition of TVC marks an important next step in the development of our digital capabilities, providing trusted advice and even more convenient pet care services. We have followed their business for a number of years and know Jamie Moodie and the team well, and we recognise their exceptional telehealth capabilities and excellent service levels, as well as the opportunities arising from the scalability of their clinical protocols and proprietary telehealth platform.
“It is however, very much business as usual for the TVC team with regards to providing great service to their existing customers, and we all agree that this investment in their business will give them the support they need to continue to provide this existing service to their well-established and valued customer base.
“We look forward to incorporating these capabilities into our existing customer offer – across product, services and subscriptions – to enhance the overall customer experience, and help drive customer acquisition, retention and lifetime value.
“TVC is a ‘win-win’ solution for our customers, colleagues and JVPs, providing 24/7 access to trusted advice from the comfort of home with increased flexibility around our veterinary team’s work-life balance.”
Jamie Moodie, CEO of The Vet Connection commented:
“I am delighted with the deal between TVC and PAH and what it means for our respective partners, colleagues, and customers. It comes at an exciting time in the industry, where the awareness and acceptance of telehealth is rapidly growing.
“The acquisition and backing by PAH will allow TVC to accelerate several plans, including further tech advancement, service extension and overseas rollout to the benefit of our partners and the pet owners that enjoy our service.
“We are equally delighted to support PAH in the next step of its impressive journey and look forward to adding our capabilities to an already comprehensive and respected suite of services.”
Nick Irvine, Managing Director of The Vet Connection commented:
“We’re very proud to be joining the Pets at Home Group. The Vet Connection exists to provide convenient, cost effective and high-quality veterinary advice, and with the additional support from Pets at Home, will continue to further our advancement of telehealth services.”
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