Group Breed Veterinaty Practice Joins ONEVET

ONEVET has just acquired the Breed Group, composed of two Hospitals and three Clinics located in Amarante, Marco de Canavezes, Paredes and Santa Maria da Feira in Portugal. The Breed Group has over 20 years of history, bringing together a wide range of medical expertise and professionals with great experience in the veterinary sector.

The integration of the Breed Group into ONEVET is of particular importance in strengthening its leadership in Portugal, with special emphasis on the Northern region of Portugal, and in reinforcing the skills and scope of services available to its customers. Very recently, the Breed Group invested in a new unit, Scivet – Instituto Veterinário, in Paredes, as a reference center for surgery, imaging, cardiology, oncology and ophthalmology services, in an exclusive referral channel for professionals in the sector.

Filipe Alves, founder of the Breed Group, comments: "Becoming part of the Onevet/UNAVETS family was a strategic decision that, as the negotiations went on, proved to be natural and right. I am confident that this new adventure of the Breed Group, like others in the past, will be a success. We chose to integrate the most complete and consolidated structure in Portugal that, from the very first moment, revealed a genuine concern with what is most important in this activity, the people. It was a pleasant surprise. The sector will undergo some adjustments in the coming years, it will be even more specialized, competitive, but with a growing concern in creating better professional and personal conditions for its medical teams, the biggest threat to this activity. Veterinary companies will have to know how to join forces to remain competitive, taking advantage of the best talents and the most advanced technologies. The concentration experienced in the sector is a great opportunity to enhance the value of the veterinarian doctor and boost their recognition by customers. It is therefore essential to be part of a whole. Breed will know how to add the best of its culture, experience and vision, benefiting from the enormous capillarity, scale and know-how of the largest medical-veterinary group in Portugal.”

Juliana Moreira, Technical Director of the Breed Group says that: “For the Breed Group, which already has more than 20 years of history and fifty employees, the sustained and solid growth, based on well-defined values, has always been a concern. And it is with this premise, that the Breed group takes another step, with confidence and determination, integrating one of the largest groups of veterinary health of the Iberian Peninsula. It was a difficult decision, but it made sense for us: to be part of something bigger, but in a network that allows us to have proximity and voice in decision making, without ever losing our identity. And if any uncertainty or doubt existed, it was completely overcome, when we clearly realize that UNAVETS/ONEVET is focused not only on providing a quality service, differentiated and innovative, but also in developing their professionals, creating real career plans, without ever forgetting their welfare and quality of life.”

ONEVET's growth strategy is once again strengthened with this integration confirming its leadership position in the veterinary market in Portugal. Guilherme Assis, Executive Director of ONEVET, says “The incorporation of Breed allows Onevet to reinforce its leadership in the northern region, now having 5 hospitals and 12 clinics, for a total of 17 units in this region. Breed is a reference structure, with many years in the market, integrating a group of high-quality professionals with great experience in various areas.”

The UNAVETS Group has a leadership position in the veterinary healthcare market in Iberia (Spain and Portugal), developing in less than 2 years a group which offers shared services and commercial/development support to its more than 56 practices. This includes referral/specialist centres, hospitals, first opinion clinics, and local veterinary offices, thus ensuring a convenient and complete service.

About UNAVETS Group

UNAVETS Group has over 500 professionals in Spain and Portugal. Plans are in place to continue its growth strategy in Iberia and across Europe, 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 $158 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2021. Oaktree's European Principal strategy manages € 5.6 billion in assets under management, as of September 30, 2021.

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.