Dentons has advised AniCura, one of Europe’s largest players in the veterinary care industry, on the acquisition of VetCare Group in Slovakia and the Czech Republic from HardWood Investments. With the purchase of VetCare, AniCura acquires a total of 10 clinics – three in the Czech Republic and seven in Slovakia – which employ 260 veterinary professionals.
AniCura is headquartered in Sweden and operates nearly 500 specialized veterinary clinics, which treat up to 4.5 million pets annually across 15 European countries. The deal represents the company’s entry into the Czech and Slovak markets, which combined with its existing presence in Poland, significantly enhances its footprint in Central and Eastern Europe. AniCura belongs to the global group Mars Veterinary Health, which is active in Europe, America and Asia and has close to 3,000 clinics around the world employing a total of 70,000 people.
AniCura was represented by Julius Krüger, Head of M&A International, José Maria Merle, Head of M&A at AniCura Group and Benoit Saulnier, M&A Analyst at AniCura. Dentons’ cross-border team was led by Partner Tomáš Bílek (Prague) and supported by Partner Stanislav Ďurica (Bratislava), senior associates Drahomír Široký (Bratislava) and Adam Přerovský (Prague), Counsel Jana Málková Želechovská and Associate Erik Kožúrik.
