CVS Group (AIM:CVSG), the veterinary firm, saw its shares bounce 3% higher on Thursday after it openly welcomed the commencement of an 18-month-long investigation into the industry.
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority revealed it would be expanding its investigation into the vet industry, having created a new team of independent experts to oversee the research.
Should the investigation find the industry needs fixing, the inquiry group said remedies could include a cap on prescription fees, the forced sale or disposal of company assets and/or mandating the release of certain information to customers.
In response, the London-listed group said it would be looking forward to receiving updates from the CMA and will work to assist the probe.
“CVS will continue to proactively support the CMA through this market investigation, as it has done consistently,” a company statement said.
In March, the CMA said it had concerns regarding transparency with customers, the strength of competition, and whether the market was functioning as well as it could.
Analysts at the time said they did not expect the investigation to affect either CVS or Pets at Home.