What THE VETERINARY CENTRE LTD does

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service (DBA: Willows), a trading division of Linnaeus Veterinary Limited within Mars Veterinary Health, operates a specialist-led small animal referral hospital from a state-of-the-art facility in Solihull, West Midlands, UK, established in 1989. The hospital delivers 15 referral disciplines - Anaesthesia, Cardiology, Chronic Pain, Clinical Nutrition, Dentistry, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency and Critical Care, Exotics, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation, and Soft Tissue Surgery - staffed by RCVS and European Diplomate Specialists, alongside a general practice service for routine care. Its core technical assets include MRI, CT, ultrasound, and 3D-printed patient-specific drill guides pioneered in veterinary spinal surgery, and it operates a 24/7 emergency and critical care service supported by an ICU.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional service fees: specialist consultation charges, time-based and complexity-based procedure fees, diagnostic imaging charges, and dispensing of medications and clinical nutrition products, with fixed-price packages offered for routine referral procedures to reduce pricing friction for primary care vets and pet owners. The hospital runs a sales-led, referral-driven go-to-market model, receiving patients from primary care veterinary surgeons across the UK and from direct pet-owner referrals, with a video consultation channel extending specialist access beyond the West Midlands catchment. The customer base is highly distributed across pet owners (both referred and general practice) and veterinary referrer practices, with back-of-house support and capital sourced from the Linnaeus network and Mars Veterinary Health parent. Recognised as Best UK Referral Centre for four consecutive years (2022-2024), Willows combines a multidisciplinary clinical model with regulatory credentials (RCVS Small Animal Hospital, RCVS Emergency Service Clinic, iCatCare Gold Cat Friendly Clinic) that are difficult for competitors to replicate at this breadth.

Name

THE VETERINARY CENTRE LTD

Legal name

Linnaeus Veterinary Limited

Website

https://veterinarycentre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service is a Mars Veterinary Health-owned specialist veterinary hospital in Solihull, UK, providing 15 referral disciplines plus general practice, 24/7 emergency care, and advanced diagnostics to referred pet owners and primary care vets across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Healthcare Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Specialty Referral Hospitals (Multi-specialty) (HLAMACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Hospitals (HLAMACAA), General Practice Veterinary Clinics (Wellness & Primary Care) (HLAMAAAA)

Keywords

• Veterinary referral services
• Specialist veterinary hospital
• Small animal healthcare
• Veterinary diagnostics imaging
• Emergency veterinary care

Headquarters

HQ city

Solihull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Veterinary Consultation Fees: Fees charged for initial consultations for both general practice and specialist referral services. Consultation charges apply before any procedures or treatments.
2. Surgical and Medical Procedures: Time-based fees determined by the complexity of procedures, drugs, materials and consumables used. Detailed statements provided for every consultation, investigation, and surgical procedure.
3. Medications and Diets: Dispensing of prescribed medications and clinical nutrition products. All fees for drugs and food subject to VAT.
4. Diagnostic Imaging: Charges for imaging services including radiographs, CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound diagnostics. Copies of images may incur additional charges.
5. Fixed-Price Procedure Packages: Pre-priced packages for routine procedures and conditions providing cost certainty for pet owners and referring vets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service is a multidisciplinary specialist small animal hospital providing veterinary care across 15 referral disciplines (including Anaesthesia, Cardiology, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency and Critical Care, Exotics, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, and Soft Tissue Surgery) alongside a general practice service for routine pet healthcare. The hospital operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and delivers care through in-person consultations, surgical procedures, advanced imaging (MRI, CT, ultrasound), and remote video consultations, with patients typically referred by primary care veterinary surgeons across the UK.

Product overview

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service operates as a multidisciplinary specialist veterinary hospital offering a comprehensive portfolio of services. The core offering consists of 15 Specialist Referral Services (Anaesthesia, Cardiology, Chronic Pain Clinic, Clinical Nutrition, Dentistry, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency and Critical Care, Exotics, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation, and Soft Tissue Surgery) supported by General Practice Services for routine care. The hospital provides 24/7 Emergency and Critical Care with an intensive care unit, Video Consultations for remote specialist access, and Fixed Price Procedures for predictable costing. Additional offerings include Pet Health Information Sheets for education and a Birmingham Dogs Home charitable partnership. All services are delivered through a team of RCVS and European-recognized Specialists at a state-of-the-art facility in Solihull.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialist Referral Services
• General Practice Service
• Emergency and Critical Care Service
• Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service
• Video Consultations
• Fixed-Price Procedure Packages
• Diagnostic Imaging Service
• Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted Best UK Referral Centre for four consecutive years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Birmingham Dogs Home (BDH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024Willows has entered an initial one-year partnership with Birmingham Dogs Home, the Midlands' leading dog welfare charity established in 1892. The partnership involves delivering expert medical care and treatment to rescued dogs, supporting the charity's rescue, reunion, and re-homing operations for stray and abandoned dogs across the West Midlands and South Staffordshire area. Willows also supports BDH community events including family fun days and has been recognised as Platinum Business Patrons.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Vets Now: UK-wide provider of out-of-hours and emergency veterinary care with multiple sites; competes with Willows' emergency and critical care service from a broader network-based model.
• IVC Evidensia: Large European veterinary group operating hundreds of primary care and referral practices across the UK; a broad incumbent in the same market that competes via network scale rather than single-site specialism.

Direct peers

• Langford Vets (University of Bristol): University-affiliated veterinary referral hospital in Bristol offering multi-disciplinary specialist services; comparable UK referral centre combining clinical work with academic training.
• North Downs Specialist Referrals: UK specialist veterinary referral hospital in Surrey providing multi-disciplinary referral services including orthopaedics, neurology, oncology and internal medicine; a directly comparable mid-tier UK referral practice.
• Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (Royal Veterinary College): Major UK academic veterinary referral hospital offering specialist services across all major disciplines; competes with Willows for complex referral cases and as a teaching/training hub.
• Dick White Referrals: A leading UK multi-disciplinary specialist veterinary referral hospital in Cambridgeshire offering similar broad specialist services including surgery, internal medicine, oncology, and emergency care; directly comparable as a top-tier UK referral centre.
• Davies Veterinary Specialists: Multi-disciplinary veterinary referral hospital in Hertfordshire offering specialist services across multiple disciplines; operates as a directly comparable UK referral centre within the Linnaeus network.
• Paragon Veterinary Referrals: Multi-disciplinary veterinary referral hospital in Yorkshire offering specialist services across multiple disciplines; directly competes as a UK specialty referral centre with similar case mix.
• Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists: UK specialist referral hospital in Hampshire offering multi-disciplinary veterinary referral services including internal medicine, surgery, oncology, and cardiology; directly competes in the UK specialty referral market.
• Eastcott Veterinary Referrals: Specialist veterinary referral hospital in Swindon offering multi-disciplinary referral services including dentistry, internal medicine and surgery; comparable UK specialty referral practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-veterinary-centre-ltd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THE VETERINARY CENTRE LTD