Who are the big six vet groups in the UK?

IVC Evidensia, CVS Group, Pets at Home (Vets4Pets and Companion Care), VetPartners, Linnaeus (owned by Mars) and Medivet. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) names these six as the large vet groups. As of 19 October 2026 they own 4,693 of the 7,602 UK practices we list, about 62%.

What is the biggest vet group in the UK?

IVC Evidensia. As of 19 October 2026 we list 1,305 of its practices, about 17% of all UK practices. IVC Evidensia counts its own way and says it runs more than 900 UK practices. Its largest shareholder is the private equity firm EQT, alongside Silver Lake and Nestlé.

How do VetPartners, IVC Evidensia, CVS and Linnaeus compare in size?

By our count on 19 October 2026: IVC Evidensia 1,305 practices, CVS 911, VetPartners 794 and Linnaeus 424. The groups' own figures are lower because they count differently: IVC Evidensia says more than 900, VetPartners more than 500, CVS more than 480 (35 of them in Australia), and Linnaeus 81 practices working from more than 180 locations in the UK and Ireland.

Is Vets4Pets independent?

No. Vets4Pets and Companion Care belong to Pets at Home Group plc. Most are joint ventures: a local vet co-owns the practice with Pets at Home and sets its prices. That makes them more locally run than a typical chain, but Pets at Home still co-owns each one.

My vet has a local name. Can it still be part of a big group?

Yes. Most practices the big groups buy keep their old name, so the sign outside proves nothing. Search for the practice on Who Owns Your Vet?, or check the company named on its website against Companies House. From 22 March 2027 the CMA's Order requires practices in a group to show the group's name.

The biggest vet groups in the UK: the big six ranked

The six biggest vet groups in the UK are IVC Evidensia, CVS Group, Pets at Home, VetPartners, Linnaeus and Medivet. As of 19 October 2026 they own 4,693 of the 7,602 practices we list, about six in ten. IVC Evidensia is the largest by a distance. These are the six the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) calls the large vet groups.

Most practices these groups buy keep their old local name, so the sign outside won’t tell you. Each group’s card below lists its owner and the names to look out for, and the last section shows how to check your vet.

The biggest vet groups in the UK, ranked

The six biggest UK vet groups by the number of practices we list, as of 19 October 2026
#	Group and owner	Practices we list, and share of UK
1	IVC EvidensiaEQT, Silver Lake and Nestlé	1,30517%
2	CVS GroupStock market (CVS Group plc)	91112%
3	Pets at HomeStock market (Pets at Home Group plc)	85411%
4	VetPartnersBC Partners	79410%
5	LinnaeusMars, Incorporated	4246%
6	MedivetCVC Capital Partners	4055%

Counts as of 19 October 2026. The percentage is each group’s share of the 7,602 UK practices we list. See today’s figures on vet groups by size.

The big six, group by group

Each group’s own count is lower than ours. We count every premises on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) register, so a branch surgery or an out-of-hours clinic counts as a practice of its own. The groups count their own way. The order shifts a little with the method, but the same six lead either way.

1. IVC Evidensia

1,305 practices we list

Owned by: Private equity firm EQT, its largest shareholder, with Silver Lake and Nestlé.
Trades as: Mostly each practice’s original local name. Also My Family Vets and Vets Now, the out-of-hours emergency service. Since February 2026 it adds “inspiring vet care” alongside local names.
Most practices in: South East (251), South West (179), Scotland (152)
Its own count: More than 900 UK practices (February 2026)

See IVC Evidensia’s practices and who owns them

2. CVS Group

911 practices we list

Owned by: Shareholders. CVS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Trades as: Mostly each practice’s original local name. It also owns the online pet pharmacy Animed Direct.
Most practices in: South East (220), South West (162)
Its own count: More than 480 practices, 35 of them in Australia (June 2026)

See CVS Group’s practices and who owns them

3. Pets at Home

854 practices we list

Owned by: Shareholders. Pets at Home Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Most of its practices (407 of 455) are joint ventures: a local vet co-owns the practice with Pets at Home and sets its prices.
Trades as: Vets4Pets (or Vets for Pets) and Companion Care, often inside or next to a Pets at Home store.
Most practices in: South East (160), North West (109)
Its own count: 455 vet practices (year to March 2026)

See Pets at Home’s practices and who owns them

4. VetPartners

794 practices we list

Owned by: Private equity firm BC Partners, whose funds bought it in November 2018.
Trades as: Mostly each practice’s original local name, including Goddard Veterinary Group in and around London.
Most practices in: North West (127), South East (99), London (86)
Its own count: More than 500 UK practices (its website, October 2026)

See VetPartners’s practices and who owns them

5. Linnaeus

424 practices we list

Owned by: Mars, Incorporated, through its Mars Veterinary Health business.
Trades as: Mostly each practice’s original local name. It also runs specialist referral centres and 24-hour emergency hospitals.
Most practices in: South East (73), London (59), West Midlands (57)
Its own count: 63 first-opinion and 18 referral practices, from more than 180 locations in the UK and Ireland (its website, October 2026)

See Linnaeus’s practices and who owns them

6. Medivet

405 practices we list

Owned by: Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, whose funds have controlled it since 2021.
Trades as: Medivet, usually followed by the town or the practice’s old name.
Most practices in: South East (107), London (62). We list only one in Scotland.
Its own count: More than 350 UK practices (its website, October 2026)

See Medivet’s practices and who owns them

Regional counts are ours, as of 19 October 2026.

What the CMA means by a “large” vet group

The CMA’s final report in March 2026 named six large vet groups: CVS, IVC, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home and VetPartners. Its Order, published on 22 September 2026, draws the line by size: a “large veterinary business” has 15 or more first-opinion practices or out-of-hours centres.

Large businesses must act first. They have to publish price lists from 22 December 2026, and cap the fee for a written prescription at £21 from 22 March 2027. Smaller practices get more time. From 22 March 2027 every practice in a group, large or small, must show the group’s name. The CMA reforms, explained covers every deadline.

Of the groups we track, one more is over the line: Kin Vet Community, owned by private equity firm Perwyn, with 20 practices by our count. Smaller groups we haven’t yet profiled may also have 15 or more sites.

How to tell if your vet belongs to a big group

Look it up: search for your practice. Every listing shows who owns it and how we know.
Read the small print: the footer, terms or privacy policy on the practice’s website name the company behind it.
Check Companies House: search that company on Companies House and open “People”, then “Persons with significant control”, to see who controls it. Our guide to finding out who owns your vet walks through it.
Ask: from 22 March 2027 practices in a group must tell you. Until then, the reception team can usually say.

Does it matter if your vet is part of a big group?

The CMA found that prices were higher on average at most of the large groups than at independent practices. Prices still vary a lot from one practice to the next, so compare the vets near you rather than going by the owner alone. Our guide to independent vs corporate vets sets out what the evidence shows, or browse independent vets and every corporate group.