Henry Schein buying Dutch veterinary supplier

Melville-based Henry Schein Inc., Long Island's largest publicly traded company, has taken another step in its plans to expand European sales with an agreement to buy a Dutch veterinary supply distributor, the company said Wednesday.

The deal would give it access to the animal-care market for pharmaceuticals, pet foods, small equipment and disposables in The Netherlands and in Belgium.

Schein, a global health-care products supplier serving office-based dental, medical and veterinary practices, did not disclose terms of the sale, which is expected to close within the next few months.

The Dutch company, AUV Veterinary Services, is the distribution division of the AUV Group, a privately held company based in Cuijk, The Netherlands. Henry Schein Inc. described AUV as the leading distributor serving animal health practitioners in the Netherlands and Belgium, with 200 employees, $270 million in sales for 2011, and a customer base of about 2,000 veterinary practices.

"This important addition will further our pan-European strategy," Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and chief executive of Henry Schein, said in a prepared statement.

For the company, which had $8.5 billion in sales for 2011, the transaction also advances its goal of exceeding $10 billion in sales within the next few years.

Schein, with 14,000 employees, reported income of $404.6 million on sales of $8.5 billion for the year ended Dec. 31, compared to $352.1 million on sales of $7.5 billion for the previous fiscal year ending Dec. 25, 2010.

The company's stock rose 27 cents, to $74.06, by mid-morning Wednesday; its 52-week range is $58.50-$77.05.

Photo: Henry Schein chairman and chief executive, Stanley M.  Bergman.

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