We are excited to be attending and exhibiting at the London Vet Show this Thursday and Friday the 20th and 21st of November. As the major calendar event for UK veterinarians, the London Vet Show is an excellent way for the veterinary community to connect and explore solutions for the sustainability and future of their practices.

UK veterinary practices planning for ownership succession are experiencing their most significant shift in decades. With large corporates and private equity groups accelerating consolidation in recent years, many independent practices are now looking toward alternative succession models—approaches that safeguard their people, purpose, and long-term independence.

For some, this means that a sale to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) is now firmly on the table as an ownership succession option, as opposed to a sale to a consolidator.

There are many other reasons why the EOT model is gaining traction in the veterinary world, including:

• protecting the continuity and independence of the practice
• empowering your team, whilst enabling a phased and flexible exit for the owners on their own terms
• smooth, controlled succession in terms of management / leadership
• a tax efficient way for the existing owners to realise a fair return on the value of their shares / their investment in the pracitce over the years
• long term stability for the employees, the practice, and clients

The London Vet Show is the perfect opportunity for practice owners to explore how employee ownership can work for them. Simon Everingham and Cristín Craig from Baxendale Employee Ownership will be there to discuss:

• how an EOT can provide a sustainable, values-aligned ownership succession route;
• what the transition process looks like in a veterinary context; and
• case studies from practices that have already made the change.

Our website also provides further information and best practice advice, from step-by-step guides to governance, valuation and implementation advice.

Employee ownership offers a real alternative to corporate consolidation — one that protects independence, empowers teams, and sustains trusted relationships at the heart of every veterinary practice.

If you’re thinking about succession, now is the time to explore how an EOT could help you exit on your own terms — with your people, clients, and purpose at the centre of it all.

We look forward to seeing you at the London Vet Show 2025 and helping to shape the next chapter of veterinary practice ownership together.