Anicura joins Mars Petcare

• 11.06.2018
• Sven Jan Arndt
• no comments

What sounds so innocuous actually has immense significance for our industry. While the Swedish financial investors initially presented themselves as long-term investors with the sole intention of doing good for pets, the mask has now finally slipped. After less than eight years in the market, the financial investors have sold their business to the Mars Group, one of the largest corporations in the food and pet industry alongside Nestlé.

Regarding Mars Petcare, from their own press release:

„…These include PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL CANIN®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA®, CESAR®, IAMS™, and EUKANUBA™, as well as the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, which has been advancing scientific research on pet nutrition and health for more than 50 years. Mars Petcare is also the world’s largest provider of veterinary care services, with a network of more than 2,000 veterinary clinics, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, PET PARTNERS™, and VCA™. …“

A tendency towards the monopolization of an entire market seems clear when one looks at this list.

The complete German press release can be found here: 180611-anicura-joins-mars-petcare

What does this mean for the veterinary industry?

First of all, the prevailing winds at Anicura will likely intensify further and be even more focused on profit and return optimization. Mars has high return targets and has attracted attention in the past due to one or two scandals (Scandal over plastic particles in chocolate bar etc.).

Secondly, veterinarians considering selling their practice should think more carefully about whom they sell to in the future. Other competitors in the market, such as Evidensia, are also profit-oriented financial investors. It seems only natural that they, too, have an exit strategy in mind in the long term.

Therefore, anyone who wants to continue providing their services professionally in the future, free from the pressure of sales targets or return expectations from external financial investors, should, in our opinion, carefully consider whether the touted advantages can be achieved in other ways and whether the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.