Competition rises as corporate firms remain hungry for dental acquisitions

Oliver Brown, associate director of dental at Christie & Co, describes the current trends in dental acquisitions amidst the Covid pandemic.

2020 has undoubtedly been a year of unprecedented challenges for all businesses. After months of being unable to trade as a result of the nation-wide lockdown, you would expect to see corporate operators disposing of non-performing assets in order to account for lost income and higher costs. Interestingly, we have not seen such a trend in the dental industry. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Following a brief period of practice sales being put on hold, dental groups across the country gradually resumed purchasing sites – now seeking to make up for lost time.  

While the dental sector has been significantly affected by Covid-19, and both principals and associates face new challenges and a shifting landscape of regulation, the nature of employment has protected many businesses from some of the staff challenges that affect other sectors. The revenue consistency provided by Plan and NHS income has also helped many practices from the worst impacts of being unable to trade.