By Ian McConnell

A dental practice in Falkirk with around 19,000 registered patients has been sold.

Grahams Road Dental Surgery, which has six fully equipped surgeries and three hygiene surgeries and is located close to Falkirk town centre, has been acquired by Portman Dental Care.

Christie & Co, which conducted the sale, noted the location had been home to a dental practice since the early 1900s, with the business expanding over the years to meet growing patient demand.

It said: “Significant investment in the 1970s enabled the practice to expand, offering five surgeries, with a dedicated denture laboratory as well as employing two full-time hygienists. More recently, in 2008, further expansion allowed for a sixth surgery and a third hygiene surgery.”

The practice has been operating with four principal partners – Damian Carey, John Arthur, Christopher Black and Stephen Kean – who Christie & Co noted “were keen to ensure a smooth transition and continuity for their patient base, whilst considering their exit strategy”.

The property agent added: “After discussions with Christie & Co, the partners recognised that a buoyant market would provide a great opportunity to transition the business to new ownership.

“Grahams Road Dental Surgery, which was brought to the market on a confidential basis in May 2021, received significant interest from a wide range of buyers, with over 20 enquires in the first 24 hours alone. With the high level of interest, a closing date was set just a few weeks after launch. Multiple competitive bids were received on the day, with the Partners accepting an offer from Portman Dental Care, one of the largest corporate operators, who they felt would be able to continue the growth of the business, whilst upholding the reputation for delivering the highest quality patient care.”

Damian Carey, speaking on behalf of the exiting partners, said: “There were numerous reasons why we decided to sell. However, I’d heard a lot of things about Portman Dental Care - it sounded like it would be a happy and supportive environment to be a part of. Since acquiring the practice, Portman have improved the management structure and have provided the staff with a great deal of support, with some exciting improvements in the pipeline too.”

Selina Alexander, mergers and acquisition manager at Portman Dental Care, said: “This is a really exciting partnership that we have established with the partners at Grahams Road. Whenever we look for practices to join us, we are adamant that they share the same values that we uphold throughout the entire business and family of practices – the team at Grahams Road do just that.”