Selling your veterinary practice will probably be the biggest transaction you will ever undertake, so it is vital to get a feel of its value and an understanding of how you will progress the sale before moving forward.
Who are the potential buyers and what are they looking for?
Potential Buyers-
- Corporate buyers
- Private equity group buyers
- Privately owner practices
- Individual buyers, Vets, and nurses
Factors involved in determining a practices value.
The 5 Key Drivers determining a practice Value
- While each vet practice is unique, a number of common factors contribute to the practice’s value:
- 1. Practice size. Larger practices tend to be more valuable than smaller 1-2 vet practices
- 2. Location. A good practice location usually commands higher valuations.
- 3. Specialty area. Small animal veterinary clinics are generally more marketable than mixed or purely large animal practices, so small animal vet practice valuations are typically higher.
- 4. Asset base. Most vet practices sales are asset sales; these include the Goodwill as often the highest value asset, but also quality equipment affects the price/li>
- 5. Market position. Well-established clinics with above-average client profitability and client retention can create higher levels of goodwill/li>
Qualitative Factors
- Quality and accuracy of the sales information memorandum
- Practice location and demographics (income/pet ownership, attractive to potential staff)
- Management systems and staff quality and stability
- Level of competition
- Type and size of practice, Small animal practices are still the preferred option for buyers
- Secure property occupancy and market rental values.
- OOH cover
- Dependency upon retaining owner
Quantitative Factors
- Historical and projected financial performance
- Strong financials --Turnover to Profit Ratio - 17.5% ->20%
- The current maintainable profit
- Maintainable earnings multiples from previous purchases/sales
- Income arrived from third party service suppliers. (e.g. laboratory tests)
- Potential for improved performance