Emergency pet care provider Vets Now has more than doubled its profits and signalled further expansion plans in England.
The business, founded by Richard Dixon in 2001 and which now has more than 50 outlets across the UK, saw revenue grow from £30.2 million to £33.9m in the 12 months to March 31 this year.
Accounts soon to be filed at Companies House will show pre-tax profits rising from £1.5m to £3.8m.
Mr Dixon said Vets Now would continue to re-invest its profit in a number of areas to keep growing further.
The business is now looking at taking the unique 24-hour accident and emergency service it operates in the Charing Cross area of Glasgow to other parts of the UK.
The existing facility is filled with a range of vets trained in emergency service and also takes in referrals for specialist areas including surgery and oncology.
The success of that site has convinced Mr Dixon the model will work in other cities.
He said: “The provision of a 24hr pet emergency service provides a vital service to our local vet partners and allows them to refer on cases, both day and night, that require specialist care.
“We are also open to the public directly for emergencies, but we do not offer the same routine services, such as dog vaccinations, that your local vet would provide.
If your dog or cat has been run over you want to make sure you have the best people attending to it straight away. You don’t want to be phoning a vet at home in the bath who has to get out, get organised and open the surgery up.”
According to Mr Dixon Vets Now plans to open one similar facility in Manchester and another in an as yet unnamed English city over the next 12 months.
Five more of its more traditional out-of-hours clinics are also on the drawing board in what is shaping up to be a busy period.
Mr Dixon, chairman, indicated the business would also consider acquisitions if the right opportunity came up.
He said: “I think we have always been pretty ambitious and we are not planning on changing that.
“The margins are improving as time has gone on which is fantastic but that has just given us a base to build on.
“We want to make the most of the opportunities we have got.”
The new clinics and hospitals will also see the workforce at the business increase from the current 800.
Mr Dixon said: “Our recent performance is testament to the dedication of the hard-working vets and nurses that are committed to ensuring that pets all over the UK can have immediate care from emergency experts.
“Our people are our assets and we invest heavily in continuous professional development and staff benefits to ensure we attract, develop and retain the best people in the profession.”
In June Vets Now, which treats more than 100,000 animals each year, opened a call centre at its Dunfermline headquarters to handle basic queries and provide free advice to distressed pet owners from around the UK.
A recently launched mobile device app can also help people find their nearest vet as well as keeping their pet’s records online.
In Scotland the business has out-of-hours clinics in Edinburgh, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen.
In April this year Mr Dixon appointed Mark Ross, formerly of Black & Lizars, as joint managing director with Fiona Dewar, who was promoted from her role as client and people director at Vets Now.
According to Mr Dixon the move to having the two of them running the day-to-day business has been “fantastic”.
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