ONEVET acquires the Santo Tirso Veterinary Center, made up of the Santo Tirso Veterinary Center and the São Tomé Veterinary Center, located in the Santo Tirso region in Northern Portugal. The Group was founded 12 years ago and is about to launch the opening of a Veterinary Hospital in Santo Tirso, scheduled to open this November 2021. This new project will enhance the provision of new services and the availability of more clinical features within the context of a modern infrastructure that balances the well-being of animals with the appropriate environment to provide high-quality and sophisticated healthcare for pet patients.
The Santo Tirso Veterinary Center has experienced significant growth in recent years, supported by a team of dynamic and determined professionals, who are committed to promoting the development of the Group and its strengths, in close partnership with Onevet.
Ricardo Baptista, founder of the Santo Tirso Veterinary Center and Clinical Director, comments: “When we started exploring options to sell our group, we knew we wanted more than a business partner. We looked for a company that cared about our group, our team, and customers and to work with us towards common goals. We couldn’t have taken a better decision. Throughout the sales process we were able to prove how assertive this decision was! Onevet proved to be a true partner in every sense of the word, providing help and support and meeting clinical and staff needs. The support provided by Onevet is invaluable while respecting the individual culture of each clinic, not altering or interrupting it.
We are confident that, after almost twelve years since the creation of the Santo Tirso group, the incorporation in Onevet will allow us to continue our professional growth and development, always seeking to provide the best, most qualified and dedicated care to all our patients, while maintaining a motivated, supportive and committed team.”
The ONEVET team is excited about this new integration, which represents an important milestone in ONEVET’s growth process. With this integration, the Group will have 28 veterinary centers in Portugal, 29 with the new Hospital that will open in November, and with more than 260 professionals, which reinforces its leadership position in the veterinary market in Portugal. Guilherme Assis, Executive Director of ONEVET, says “The objectives of the Veterinary Center of Santo Tirso and Onevet are very aligned, which will allow a quick integration into the group. We are excited about the entry of the Santo Tirso Veterinary Center into the group, which sees its team strengthened as well as the capillarity of its units in the northern region with the incorporation of two clinics and the future hospital, which allows us to strengthen the provision of excellent services.”
ONEVET is a pioneer in the veterinary market in Portugal, developing a successful consolidation strategy with the aim of establishing a national pet health care group. This includes referral hospitals, clinics, and small local consultation rooms, thus ensuring a convenient and complete service.
About UNAVETS Group
UNAVETS Group, which secured a majority position in ONEVET via an equity investment at the end of 2020, now has a total of 46 veterinary centers, 17 in Spain and 29 in Portugal, continuing its rapid expansion. UNAVETS Group is a veterinary group that has about 470 professionals in Spain and Portugal. The UNAVETS Group (formed by ONEVET Group in Portugal and UNAVETS in Spain) is one of the top veterinary healthcare groups in Iberia, operating in Spain and Portugal. Plans are in place to continue its growth strategy in Iberia while developing new lines of services, innovating with digital engagement internally and with its customers, and promoting veterinary healthcare training and scientific development within the clinical team.
UNAVETS was financed in December 2019 with funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management L.P. (“Oaktree”). Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with $140 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2020. Oaktree’s European Principal strategy manages more than € 4.5 billion in assets under management.
ONEVET was founded in 2012 by Inter-Risco, SCR, S.A., one of the leading private equity players in the Portuguese market. Over the last 20 years, Inter-Risco has developed a strong brand and an enviable network throughout the fragmented small and medium enterprise (SME) segment in Portugal, investing more than €200 million in more than 100 Iberian companies.
