Falkirk dentists: Grahams Road Dental sold to Portman Dental Care

Grahams Road Dental Surgery, which has around 19,000 registered patients, has been acquired by Portman Dental Care.

The premises have been home to a dental practice since the early 1900s, with the business expanding over the years to meet patient demand. Significant investment allowed the practice to expand and it now has six surgeries and three hygiene surgeries, as well as a denture laboratory.

The four partners – Damian Carey, John Arthur, Christopher Black and Stephen Kean – will continue to work in the practice.

They worked with Christie & Co on the sale and when it came to the market 12 months there were over 20 enquiries in the first 24 hours alone.

With multiple bids received the partners accepted the offer from Portman Dental Care, who they felt would be able to continue the growth of the business, whilst upholding the reputation for delivering the highest quality patient care.

Portman Dental Care was set up in 2009 by Sam Waley-Cohen, who as well as being its CEO was an amateur jockey until he retired after this year’s Grand National which he won on Noble Yeats.

Speaking on behalf of the partners, Damian Carey said: “There were numerous reasons why we decided to sell, however, I’d heard a lot of things about Portman Dental Care - it sounded like it would be a happy and supportive environment to be a part of. Since acquiring the practice, Portman have improved the management structure and have provided the staff with a great deal of support, with some exciting improvements in the pipeline too.”

Selina Alexander, mergers and acquisition manager at Portman Dental Care, said: “This is a really exciting partnership that we have established with the partners at Grahams Road. Whenever we look for practices to join us, we are adamant that they share the same values that we uphold throughout the entire business and family of practices – the team at Grahams Road do just that. That family element is also key; we’re not simply buying a practice, we want them to feel as if they’re joining our family, bringing their individual skills and competences to enrich our group further.”

Paul Graham, Head of Dental at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, said, “It has been a pleasure to assist Damian, John, Christopher, and Stephen with the sale of their practice. This deal was a particularly interesting one, with all four partners having different plans post-sale. We first met to discuss an exit plan that was suitable for everyone and, after a confidential marketing process, we were delighted with the result. We received a plethora of interest which is a testament to the excellent reputation the sellers have built together over the years. Thanks to all involved, particularly the sellers for the opportunity to be a part of this sale.”

Grahams Road Dental Surgery is continuing to operate as normal, although as with many practices, its capacity to see patients remains reduced due to Covid.