The Beginning 1989
National Veterinary Services (NVS), originally branded National Veterinary Supplies, was founded by Peter Ashton, his uncle Alan Ashton and Paul Hill in August 1989. Ian Page, the current CEO at Dechra was its first employee.
Lloyds Chemist 1992
Over the next three years, by providing high levels of personalised service NVS gained a 14% market share by 1992. NVS is acquired by Lloyds Chemists.
Acquisition 1994
Southern Veterinary Services and West Midland Veterinary Supplies are acquired.
New Premises 1995
Moved operations from Fenton to a 50,000 sq.ft. Warehouse in Talke in Stoke on Trent.
Dechra 1997
Management team completed a buyout of NVS, Arnolds and Dales Pharmaceuticals from the Lloyds Chemists Group. The newly formed Group was named “Dechra”.
Updating Systems 2000
A new semi-automated computerised stock picking circuit was introduced; this was subsequently updated and extended in 2004 and again in 2007.
More Capacity 2002
Warehouse capacity was significantly increased in 2002 and the extended site refurbished as NVS signed a lease on the adjacent unit which doubled its warehousing capacity.
London Stock Exchange 2008
Dechra was listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2000 and entered the FTSE 250 in December 2008.
Patterson Companies 2013
In August 2013 NVS was acquired by Patterson Companies, Inc whose headquarters is in St Paul, Minnesota and Animal Health is headquartered in Greeley, Colorado.
30 Year Anniversary 2019
NVS celebrates 30 years of delivering excellence and innovation in animal health.
HS1 2023
Ten years on and we’re looking to the future, moving into our state-of-the-art purpose-built premises in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent. Increased capacity, innovative processes and a commitment to a sustainability agenda place us in a perfect position to build upon our existing values and keep delivering excellence in animal health.
