The Boutique Dental Chain
The Velvet Group, one of the newest ventures in the UK Dental field, believe their ethos and vision set their group apart. By focussing on people, patients and standards, the group believes business success will follow.
Corporate dentistry standards have left a bad taste in the mouths of many dentists according to Mark Harris and Thomas Norlin, who are key players in the Velvet Group. For starters, profit is not the primary goal, according to Dr Norlin, clinical director, who says that dental practices which are entirely business-orientated are unlikely to thrive. By focussing on people, patients and standards, he says, business success will follow.
"We believe in quality, absolute quality and we are not driven by numbers. Our people are what matter and their development and looking after patients in the best possible way."
Mark stresses that the Group are not looking for quick results and have a carefully thought-through formula for acqusitions. They have a 10 year plan and are aiming for 10 practice acquisitions. The Velvet Group is currently a misnomer, as presently it consists of the Dental Spa alone, a large, modern practice with 26 staff set on a business park on the outskirts of Shrewsbury. But Mark is just proceeding with the acquisition of three more practices.
Thomas said, "It's not about taking control of other practices but about giving access to systems which we have tweaked and improved over a period of time." Autonomy and flexibility are to be cultivated among group practices, according to Mark, who appreciates that practitioners know their patients and their area. While the Dental Spa is purely private, they are open to mixed practices joining the chain. They are aware that an upmarket private practice might work on the outskirts of Shrewsbury but a remote rural area would need a practice "relevant to the community".
Already it's possible to see how The Dental Spa is benefiting from the influence of the business brains behind the Velvet Group. The facial aesthetics side has expanded and is now in operation six days a week. The fact they are already registered with the Healthcare Commission, giving them the status of a small hospital, supports persuasive marketing material. Said Mark, "We see ourselves as a 'boutique' business. We will prove our concept here in Shropshire and then move east."
It's an admirable vision, but plenty of eyes are going to be focussed on dentistry's newest group in the months and years ahead, eager to see if a corporate which does not have profit as its principal aim can indeed be profitable. Needles to say, the principal players in The Velvet Group are convinced their formula is a winning one.
[Excerpt from the Spotlight article in the August edition of the national service magazine The Dental Practice.]
