A leading pet emergency care firm in the county has been acquired by the largest privately owned veterinary group in Europe.

Vets Now, which has clinics in Gillingham, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford and a 24-hour emergency centre in Canterbury, will be unaffected by the takeover by Independent Vetcare (IVC).

It will continue to operate as an independent part of the IVC Group, with chief executive Mark Ross still leading the unit.

Maidstone-based professional services firm, the Outset UK Group, worked with IVC in clinching the deal. It provides legal, HR and business consultancy services.

Stuart Caton, commercial director at the IVC Group, said: “We’re extremely pleased that Vets Now has joined the group, they have a great reputation and their experience will further enhance our clinical care, as well as the breadth of service we are able to provide.

"Once again, the deal team of Outset and BDO provided commercially-focussed advice, demonstrating a clear understanding our business and the drivers for this key acquisition. The integrated nature of our multi-disciplinary acquisition team has been key to our ability to deliver a fantastic growth record over the past seven years.”