Mars to acquire SYNLAB Vet, European veterinary reference laboratory

SYNLAB Vet complements the existing footprint of Mars Petcare’s full-service veterinary diagnostics business, providing diagnostics and technology to more veterinary professionals and pets in Europe.    

McLean, VA (August 14, 2023) — Mars, Incorporated (“Mars”) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of SYNLAB Vet, a European provider of specialist veterinary laboratory diagnostics, from SYNLAB Group (FSE: SYAB). Upon transaction close, SYNLAB Vet will join Mars Petcare, a purpose-driven global business serving pets and pet owners through products and services across veterinary health and diagnostics, nutrition, innovation and technology. This acquisition will enable the Science & Diagnostics division of Mars Petcare to expand its veterinary laboratory business in Europe in addition to its full-service global veterinary diagnostic offerings across veterinary labs, point-of-care, imaging and software.   

Nefertiti Greene, President, Mars Science & Diagnostics said: “We look forward to welcoming SYNLAB Vet to the Mars Petcare family of businesses. We share the belief that excellence in veterinary diagnostics and advanced technology is transformative for veterinary care.” Nef added: “This transaction is complementary to our existing diagnostics business and will bring additional reach across Europe and further our purpose to create A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™.”   

The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory clearance.   

Advisors   
Lazard served as the financial advisor for Mars, and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer acted as Mars’s legal advisor.        

Media Contact
Mars, Incorporated media inquiries:    
Kekst CNC  
Neil Maitland  
[email protected] 

About Mars, Incorporated
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This common purpose unites our 140,000+ Associates. It is at the center of who we are as a global, family-owned business, and it fuels how we are transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world.   

Every year, our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services delight millions of people and supports millions of pets. With more than $47 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including CESAR®, Ben’s Original™, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, Cocoavia®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, KIND®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS® and WHISKAS®.  We are creating a better world for pets through nutrition, breakthrough programs in diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, DNA testing, pet welfare and comprehensive veterinary care with AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™.   

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.   

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com(Opens a new window). Join us on Facebook(Opens a new window), Twitter(Opens a new window), Instagram(Opens a new window), LinkedIn(Opens a new window) and YouTube(Opens a new window). 

About Mars Science & Diagnostics  
Mars Science & Diagnostics is a division of Mars Petcare(Opens a new window), a diverse business dedicated to one purpose, creating: A Better World for Pets™ - with over 100,000 Associates helping pets, their owners, and pet professionals in more than 130 countries.  

Science & Diagnostics brings together the power of leading pet health science with expertise across diagnostics, data, and technology to change outcomes in pet health. Our global veterinary diagnostics businesses Antech(Opens a new window) with Heska(Opens a new window) span point-of-care diagnostic laboratory instruments and consumables including rapid assay diagnostic products and digital cytology services; local and cloud-based data services; practice information management software and related software and support, reference laboratories, veterinary imaging and technology, education and telemedicine with board-certified specialist support services. Our at-home diagnostics offering includes Whistle(Opens a new window) with smart devices to monitor pet health and Wisdom Panel(Opens a new window), the world’s most accurate pet DNA test. For 60 years our Waltham Petcare Science Institute(Opens a new window) has been advancing science to better understand pet health.  