3 Jul 2023
Priory Lodge Vets, with a 20-strong team and 4,500 pets on its books, joins Pennard Vets.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Dirk Brink and Abby Pye from Priory Lodge Vets join Pennard Vets.
An employee-owned vet group has expanded by joining forces with another Kent practice.
Priory Lodge Vets, which was formerly owned by two vet surgeons Abby Pye and Dirk Brink, has been acquired by Pennard Vets – an employee-ownership trust (EOT) that is believed to be the largest of its type in the world.
Priory Lodge, founded 70 years ago, has a 20-strong team and more than 4,500 pets on its books. Dr Pye and Dr Brink will stay on to lead the Tonbridge practice.
Dr Pye said: “We are very excited to join Pennard Vets and become part of the EOT. Based on Pembury Road for the past 44 years, we have evolved and grown over the years, but the one thing that has always remained consistent is our commitment to putting the welfare of our clients’ pets first.
“All the familiar and friendly faces our clients know and love will remain the same, but the partnership with Pennard Vets will also allow us to expand our range of services to our valued clients.”
Dr Brink said: “Joining Pennard Vets will allow us to focus more on the treatment of pets and surgery, with less time spent on administration and back-office work. With the same close-knit team, but a bigger support network and wider range of skills available from the team at Pennard Vets, it’s a positive move for us and our clients.
“Another big benefit of joining the group is it allows us to offer continuity of out-of-hours care, as night shifts have become more difficult to staff. Now we can more easily meet the expectations of pet owners when it comes to 24/7 care. We will, therefore, be able to carry out more major surgeries and intricate medical procedures here in practice.”
Priory Lodge Veterinary Group started as a mixed practice, moving to its current Pembury Road base from Bank Street in 1979 and became exclusively small animal in 2001, at which point it changed name to Priory Lodge Vets.
Pennard Vets, founded in Sevenoaks in 1895, has seven practices across Kent and transformed to an EOT in 2021, meaning all employees are stakeholders in the business. In two years, the team has grown from 80 to 130.
Vet Matthew Flann, of Pennard Vets, said: “We have always had a good relationship with Priory Lodge Vets, and when COVID hit, we started working more closely with them, assisting with OOH care, and we quickly found that our values were closely aligned between the teams.”
Mr Flann added: “Dirk brings additional surgical strengths to our team, which our clients will benefit from, and Abby is a talented medic, with great clinical skills as well as a strong interest in cardiology, that will also be of huge benefit to the group.
“Priory Lodge Vets becoming a part of our popular EOT structure felt right for everyone involved and we are delighted to welcome their experienced team to the group.”
