Looking beyond the city

Luke Moore considers the changing demand for dental practices.

We’ve all had to adapt to a new way of life in the face of a global pandemic. Although the Covid-19 vaccination programme is progressing at an unprecedented rate in the UK, the return to normality remains a long road to walk. Even when we reach this journey’s end, many of the changes brought about by the pandemic and adopted out of necessity are likely to remain. These changes are already influencing the dental practice market to some extent. In my experience, there has been a noticeable shift in purchasing patterns, with an increasing number of buyers favouring suburban over traditionally popular, city-based practices, including those in London.

It is thought that this is an existing trend that has been accelerated by the effects of the pandemic. Social distancing guidelines and concerns around being in close proximity to a high-density population have certainly made the idea of investing in a practice beyond the city that much more appealing for some dentists. However, other factors may be influencing practice purchase decisions. For instance, there is greater public interest in shopping for goods and services closer to home, based on a desire to support local businesses during these economically challenging times and to minimise travel outside of the immediate area.