Virbac
 | |
| S.A. (corporation) | |
| Traded as | Euronext: VIRP |
| Industry | Animal Health Care |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Pierre-Richard Dick |
| Headquarters | Carros, France |
Number of locations | 31 subsidiaries |
Area served | More than 100 countries |
| Products | Antibiotics, vaccines, dermatology, antiparasitics, dental hygiene... |
| Revenue |
 773 M€ (2014) |
Number of employees | 4,350 (2013) |
| Website |
www |
Virbac is a French company dedicated to animal health. It was founded in 1968 by veterinarian Pierre-Richard Dick.
The company is the 8th[1] largest veterinarian pharmaceutical group with a turnover of 736 million euros in 2013. The company is a limited company with Executive and Supervisory Board. It has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1985 and is member of the SBF 120. The founder's family is the majority shareholder of the company.
History
Veterinarians Pierre-Richard Dick and Max Rombi founded Virbac (acronym of virology and bacteriology) in 1968 as a veterinary office in the Cap 3000 mall in Nice. The office was sold two years later, after which Dick and Rombi focussed on animal drugs for pets, distinguishing Virbac from large veterinary pharmaceutical companies that specialised in livestock.[2]
At the end of the 1970s, Rombi began the subsidiary Arkovet, from where he developed Arkopharma, specialising in phyto- and nutrition therapy.[2]
International growth
Virbac went international in 1983 with the establishment of offices in Egypt and Spain. Subsidiaries followed in the United States of America (1984), Italy, Brazil, Australia, Germany (1987), Mexico (1988), Poland, Japan (1992), and Belgium (1994).[2]
Virbac additionally acquired several companies:[2]
- 1987: Allerden (USA)
- 1988: Imperial Dog (Germany), UVA (France), Arnolds (Australia), Carson Chemicals (USA), Animed BV (Netherlands)
- 1992: Laboratoires Viguié (France), Thalgo (France), Laboratoires Frère (France)
After Pierre-Richard Dick died in a car accident in 1992, his family decided to keep the company.[2]
Activities
The company has 4,350 employees and is present in over 100 countries with 30 sales subsidiaries. Its production is located in 10 countries among which France, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam. It also has seven research and development centers located in the United States, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, France, Vietnam and Australia.[3] It generates nearly 87% of its revenues outside France.
Its product range is designed to cover the main pathologies in companion animals and livestock: internal and external parasiticides (collars and pipettes), antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostic tests, dog and cat nutrition, dermatology, dental hygiene, reproductive, aquaculture, anesthesia, geriatrics and electronic identification (pets, horses, exotic pets…).
References
- ↑ "Animal health: Virbac announces 2-digits growth for 2012". 12 March 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bloch, Alain; Joseph, Alexandra; Santi, Michel (2010). "Propelled into the future: managing family firm entrepreneurial growth depsite generational breakthroughs within family life stage". Transgenerational Entrepreneurship: Exploring Growth and Performance in Family Firms Across Generations. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 144–147. ISBN 978-1-84980-546-9.
- ↑ "Key figures 2014". Virbac. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
