Growing range of clinics and specialised medical services

The increase in the pet population and an increasing understanding and awareness of their health needs (physical and otherwise) are also changing the supply of care. Traditional veterinary surgeries and clinics linked to universities are being joined by chains of specialised facilities, with frequent deals involving established operators in the sector, but also private investors, starting with private equity funds. The data: the veterinary care sector is growing steadily, with a growth rate of around 8% in the five-year period 2023-2028, but the veterinary sector in Italy is still very fragmented, with around 35,000 veterinary practitioners and 8,600 facilities, only a fraction of which (2%) are part of groups or chains, confirming a great potential and a strong opportunity to consolidate this market. Two are the most recent examples, the first involves Arcaplanet, Italy's largest pet store chain, the second relates to Ca' Zampa.

Last October, Arcaplanet officially presented the MyPetClinic project, a network of multi-specialist veterinary clinics that aim to become a point of reference. There are currently four active ones, all in Lombardy, one of them in Milan, in Via Ranzoni, with an ambitious development plan: 10 openings a year over the next five years, as anticipated by Nicolò Galante, CEO of Arcaplanet. The facilities offer comprehensive veterinary services, including first aid, day care, diagnosis, surgery and therapy, and are equipped with teams of vets available 24 hours a day.

The second transaction is even more recent: in February, the Ca' Zampa group acquired 100% of the shares of BluVet, creating a veterinary centre of excellence for pets, with 48 facilities including major hospitals, highly specialised clinics and innovative basic medicine facilities. In the group - which also includes two other hospitals - more than 900 people will work, including many highly professional veterinarians and numerous veterinary technicians. "The integration of Ca' Zampa with BluVet is an important step in veterinary medicine in Italy and will make a significant contribution to the development and consolidation of this sector, in line with the best European experiences," explained Giovanna Salza, CEO and founder of Ca' Zampa.