Covetrus will serve as the chief supplier to Heart + Paw, a startup veterinary clinic chain headed by former Banfield Pet Hospital CEO Vincent Bradley.
The multiyear agreement allows Covetrus to team up with a company that opened its first location, featuring veterinary care and grooming, on June 22 in suburban Philadelphia and is planning as many as 200 more sites. Four clinics — in Baltimore; Glen Mills, Pennsylvania; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and Arlington, Virginia — are expected to open in 2019.
Heart + Paw, whose business plan includes $100 million in financial backing from the private equity firm Waud Capital Partners, calls itself an integrated pet care company that will offer an array of services, from veterinary care and grooming to day care, boarding and retail sales.
“We are excited to support the vision of the management team at Heart + Paw as they work to reimagine pet care,” said Matt Leonard, a Covetrus executive vice president and president of North American operations. “With our differentiated set of service capabilities, we are well-positioned to help Heart + Paw deliver quality care and enhance practice health for their growing network.”
Covetrus, the company formed in February 2019 through the merger of Henry Schein Animal Health and Vets First Choice, is one of the industry’s largest providers of veterinary products, technology and services.
“With Covetrus, we have formed a relationship that has allowed us to not only launch our brand but to keep pace with our rapid growth strategy,” said Heart + Paw co-founder and former Banfield executive George Melillo, VMD.