
Practice ownership
Becoming a joint venture partner with Vets for Pets allows you the freedom and independence to run your own veterinary practice. With this comes the benefits of being part of a large family of industry professionals.
Joint Venture Partnership with Vets for Pets
This is at the heart of everything that we do. It's our greatest strength. Our joint venture partnership model allows vets, nurses, and practice managers the opportunity to take the next step into being a business owner.
Partnering with our business experts across several key functions will help you develop your commercial and leadership skills and experience and as an employed Director and shareholder in the practice, you will have clinical freedom to make your own decisions, shape your team, develop your local presence in the community and secure your financial future.
Watch this video to see how the Joint Venture Partnership model works. Based on a brand new practice
Becoming a Joint Venture Partner
Discovering Partnerships
For many people, the first step in their journey to becoming a joint venture partner (JVP) is an informal, confidential chat with one of our partnership team colleagues. This is an opportunity to understand more about how our business model works, the financial investment, the support that you will receive from our support office colleagues, and the type of business opportunity and locations available.
Now you have secured a better understanding of how it all works and the opportunity available, we will arrange for you to attend a Discovery Day. A Discovery Day can be done in person at our support office in Swindon or virtually. During your time with us, you will meet with several key colleagues to understand how we support you as a partner. This Discovery Day is specifically for you to ask as many questions as you need to and to engage with our colleagues to ensure you are fully informed of the support we provide.
Read our blog "What does Joint Venture Partnership look like for you?"
Location and Plan
Our model enables those interested in partnership the opportunity to open a brand new practice or buy an existing and established one.
We have a specialist property team on hand who support researching the local area and produce reports on the demographics which include things such as pet and vet client market, competitor analysis, property information such as rent and rates and the commerciality of that location. We want to ensure you have the best location to start your business. Once we have your location identified, our finance team will produce a business plan we will share with you. Each plan is tailored to you as an individual, to include factors such as set up costs for new practices. If you are buying an existing practice, we will factor in expenditures such as payroll, sales, and equipment already in place.
Our partnership team will work with you to ensure that you understand and are satisfied with the business plan put together for you.
Let's make it official
This is your journey to discover joint venture partnership, and we are on hand to ensure you have all the information you need to make your decision.
Once you are ready to proceed, we will start the sales process. We work alongside internal teams and banks to secure your funding and provide legal and sales documents. If you are opening a new practice, you will have dedicated teams to support you with your opening programme. We support you with everything from recruiting your team through to a detailed marketing plan, ensuring your launch into the community is successful.
The final and most rewarding stage of your process will be your signing day! You will visit our support office to meet with key colleagues and contacts along with our Directors. It is at this point you will sign your sales documents. Time to celebrate new beginnings!
Partnership Benefits with Vets for Pets
Clinical Freedom
All of our Joint Venture Partners operate with complete clinical freedom. Being the JVP and lead vet in your practice, enables you to have the freedom to make the best decisions for your patients whatever their needs.

Salary & Benefits
All our partners receive a salary from day one as well as a comprehensive benefits package, including a pension, life cover, income protection and a generous 28-day holiday package.

Your local practice
You will maintain a unique identity within your local community. Not only will you be supported by the Group on a national brand level, you will have complete autonomy to develop your relationship with clients and their pets on a local level.

Different routes to ownership
There are options to open a new practice or buy an existing one.
New vet practice
We help you select the best standalone property or in-store (inside a Pets at Home store) location. Your practice will be fitted out and equipped to meet your specific requirements and meet the RCVS General Practice Standard. With our support, you select and recruit your own team and receive ongoing business support from our team of experts. From day one, you can build a strong and loyal client database and enjoy working with your local community to develop your practice and brand.
Existing vet practice
As part of the ongoing business support, we advise partners to think about their exit strategy. For this reason, there are opportunities to either buy a 100% share of a business or part share where you would join an existing partner. There are many benefits to buying an existing practice. Not only do you have a team recruited, trained and ready to go, but you have a client and patient database so you can start practising from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Qualified Veterinary Surgeons, RVN’s and Practice Managers can all become JVP’s. Please contact one of our Partnership Recruitment Specialists to find out more about how this works for sole and multiple Joint Venture Partners.
In order to be a Joint Venture Partner with Vets for Pets you will need to prove your right to work in the UK, this may be with a skilled worker Visa or with settled or pre-settled status. Vets for Pets can sponsor your skilled worker visa to become a practice owner.
For a brand new practice, you’ll need £30,000 (for a single practice owner this can be reduced to £20,000)
For an existing practice, you’ll need 10% of the practice value (or a minimum of £30,000 – whichever is greater).
The remaining finance is borrowed from one of our partnered banks.
For further detail on the finances required and valuations of practices available, please get in contact
The best thing about our model is that it’s designed to support entrepreneurial vets who want to build a successful practice. The model includes more than 12 support functions that are there to provide you with advice and guidance on all things business such as Recruitment, Finance, HR, Marketing, Commercial and many more, allowing you to lead and develop your practice.
We appreciate that becoming a practice owner is big decision to make and we will never rush you through the process. The length of time the process takes will depend on a number of factors including which particular practice you’re interested in.
The partnership team will work with you to identify new and existing practices that may be of interest to you, however if you can’t find your ideal location, you can still continue through the process to Discovery Day and our property team will work towards identifying a suitable location for you.
A discovery day is a required stage in the partnership process which gives you the opportunity to meet with several key colleagues to understand how we support you as a partner. The Discovery day is specifically for you to ask as many questions as you need to and to engage with our colleagues to ensure you are fully informed of the support we provide.
JVP’s will draw a salary from day one, reflective of the role they have in practice as a Vet, RVN or Practice Manager. You have control over what salary you take and will also receive a benefits package as a Partner. Once all loans have been repaid, you will then benefit from dividends which are paid twice annually.
Yes. The Vets for Pets partnership model offers complete clinical freedom, meaning you can choose what is used in Practice. Our Supplier Relations team will work with suppliers to negotiate the best rates on products but will not restrict you to an approved list.
When the time comes that you want to exit the practice, you can sell your shares to a new Joint Venture Partner. The Partnership team will support you to market your practice to find a new buyer and help facilitate the sale.
What it's really like being a Joint Venture Partner with us
There are many reasons why our partners choose to own their own practice. Here are a few JVPs talking - in their own words - about their journey to ownership.
Meet the Partnership team
Being the Partnership Development Manager for the Vet Group, my role is to help our JVP’s achieve their business growth potential and ambitions through expansion and multi-practice ownership. I have over 12 years’ experience of working with Partners to opening new and purchase existing practices. My back ground in Finance, Operations and Recruitment are strengths that I bring when helping our JVP’s understand the journey to Partnership and having a successful practice.
My role is to ensure that we have all the information required to progress development requests at the start of the journey and that JVPs are informed, supported and comfortable at each stage of the process until completion.
I have been with the business for 8 years in various roles, from Facilities, Rebrand Projects, and most recently managing Client Experience programmes with practice teams.
I look forward to working with you, your team and your ARM to deliver your development project, and please feel free to contact me if you have any queries.
As Partnership Recruitment Manager, my team and I work with veterinary professionals to support them becoming a Joint Venture Partner. In addition to this I ensure the journey for those exploring partnership is best in class by offering a bespoke service. This includes areas such as discussing your requirements for the perfect practice, gathering demographics and identifying a suitable location. Another key area of my role is to ensure that we have the best offering to new partners, covering everything from leadership, finance, commercial, wellbeing and development, enabling a fantastic transition to becoming a Joint Venture Partner. I also support our existing partners with their exit strategies and growth plans.
As Partner Recruitment Specialist, I focus on sourcing potential Joint Venture Partners for Vets4Pets. It’s my responsibility to ensure that anyone with an interest in becoming a JVP has all the information they need on the partnership model and to take them through a Discovery Day process. I also work closely with existing Joint Venture Partners who are looking to sell their shares, by marketing their practice and supporting them to find a suitable buyer.
I am joining the business after working for 8 years in agency recruitment, across a variety of different specialisms including Finance, Business Support and HR. My background has given me a good foundation to be able to support Veterinary professionals in the process of becoming a JVP.
As Partner Recruitment Specialist, I focus on sourcing potential Joint Venture Partners for Vets4Pets. It’s my responsibility to ensure that anyone with an interest in becoming a JVP has all the information they need on the partnership model and to take them through a Discovery Day process. I also work closely with existing Joint Venture Partners who are looking to sell their shares, by marketing their practice and supporting them to find a suitable buyer.
I bring with me 15 years of agency recruitment, covering sectors such as education and Pharmaceutical. My background has given me a good foundation be able to help understand the requirements of Veterinary professionals wanting to become practice owners.
As Partner Recruitment Specialist, I focus on sourcing potential Joint Venture Partners for Vets for Pets. It is my role to ensure that anyone interested in becoming a JVP can do so with all the information required to ensure a smooth process during this exciting journey. I also work closely with existing Joint Venture Partners who are looking to exit their practice by selling their shares after having completed their Veterinary journey.
Having worked within the recruitment industry since 2007 and owning and operating my own recruitment business, I know how exciting the journey to becoming a business owner can be.
I’m excited to be a part of Vets for Pets and to work with JVPs during their journey to becoming successful veterinary practice owners.
I am responsible for marketing the Joint Venture Partnership model to the veterinary industry. Using digital and print forms of marketing you’ll see campaigns from us on Facebook, Instagram and in veterinary publications. You can find us on social media search "Partnerships at Vets4Pets"
I joined the business in 2022 having worked for a membership organisation in the agricultural sector as a Communications Manager for a number of years. I bring with me varied experience in communications and PR and a passion for creativity.
I look forward to taking you through the sales process when you look to sell shares or buy into one of the surgeries whether that be new or existing, I will provide regular updates during the process and answer any questions you may have and my aim is to make the journey as smooth as possible for you and to have a happy satisfied partner at the end.
I’ve worked in the Vet Group for 24 years having done various roles and like to think I am knowledgeable and I f I can’t help I know someone who can.
I’m responsible for looking after the internal sale process when one of our partners wants to sell some or all of the shares they own in their practice, I manage the legal paperwork, bank and wider internal sales team to keep sales moving within a timely manner. I recently moved from the legal team to share my legal knowledge in the partnership sales process.
I’ve worked for the vet group for just over four years and will be training to become a Companion Care Services Ltd (CCSL) solicitor within partnerships.
Partner with us
Our team of experts are on hand to help you understand more about our unique joint venture partnership model. If you'd like to start your journey to become a veterinary practice owner, contact us today
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