Overview of the Scottish Dental Market in 2024

Joel Mannix – Head of Dental at Christie & Co – shares an overview of findings from their Dental Market Review 2024 report, with a focus on the Scottish landscape

07 October, 2024 / editorial
Joel Mannix

A woman looks at the 2024 Christie and Co Marketing report on a laptop.

Buyer types

Across the UK, 2023 was characterised by a shift towards divestiture, with corporate ownership of practices contracting by 3.3 per cent and predominantly transferring towards independent buyers.

The sector continues to be largely independent, with 65 per cent of practices owned by independent single or dual practices. This is especially true in Scotland, where more than 90 per cent of our buyers are currently independent and a third of those also being first-time buyers, which underscores the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit within the dental sector.

A notable completion we saw this year was that of Stirling Dental Care. The reputable practice was acquired by second-time buyers who were fully funded, following a swift marketing process. This is a prime example of the type of buyers we’re seeing more and more regularly, with ambitious plans to grow their portfolios.

Transaction volumes

UK transaction volumes surged by 150 per cent during the latter half of 2023. Transaction volumes in Scotland have been largely similar to the wider UK, and compared to 2023, we are up by 100 per cent for completions in Scotland this year.

Overall, the rate of completed corporate transactions declined by 9.8 per cent in 2023, however, we do expect in the coming months that corporate buyers will begin to re-emerge into the market. We already have several practices under offer with corporate buyers and expect to see this trend continue going forward.

To find out more about the dental market landscape, visit the Christie & Co website.