The PE Playbook: Pet Care

Rachel Vullo, Grata’s Director of Relationship Management, hosted Vaios Kouvelis, VP of Corporate Development & Strategy at Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, and Allen Levitas, Head of M&A at Village Pet Care. Vaios and Allen dug deep into the key trends in the pet care market, including:

• The veterinary care space has seen more consolidation in the past decade than segments such as grooming, training, and boarding. Non-clinical services continue to be dominated by independently owned companies, largely due to lower barriers to entry compared to the veterinary services segment. 
• Demand for pet daycare services is on the rebound as pet owners increasingly return to the office. In the post-pandemic world, pet owners have higher expectations around flexibility in booking services and tech that allows them to check in on their pets throughout the day.
• Operational excellence is more crucial than ever, especially in the veterinary services sector. Investors should continue to focus on finding great operators that can partner with clinics and help them grow, rather than having a “deal first” mindset.