Vets Now in expansion down south

VETS Now, the Dunfermline-based group, yesterday snapped up a pet hospital operator on the south coast of England as founder Richard Dixon pushes ahead with his expansion plan.

Dixon remained tight-lipped over how much he had paid for NKR Veterinary Specialists, but he said the target business had turned over £2 million last year.

NKR operates hospitals to which vets can refer pets for longer-term treatment of complicated health problems.

Vets Now already operates two similar hospitals in Glasgow and Swindon, as well as offices in Aberdeen, Inverness and Reading.

Vets Now was launched by Dixon in 2001 and now provides out-of-hours emergency care for more than 100,000 animals each year from its network of over 50 clinics.