One of York’s major success stories, reputedly worth over £3billion, is reported to be going for auction.

BC Partners, a private equity firm, who bought VetPartners for £720m in 2018, is said to be selling the York-based company later this year.

Sky News understands the financiers have hired JP Morgan and investment bankers Jefferies to handle the sale of one of the UK’s biggest vet companies.

VetPartners was founded by vet Jo Malone in 2015, and according to the company’s website, now employs 7,500 people in the UK at 500 sites, rs changing hands.

According to the company's website, VetPartners employs roughly 7,500 people in the UK at 500 sites, including its York headquarters on Clifton Moor.

In 2019, it expanded beyond Britain by adding practices in Italy, and then moving into France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Last year, the company was a finalist in the 2022 York Press Business Awards and was also ranked top in the UK by Glassdoor for senior leadership.

Sky News has reported a number of large buyout firms have begun to prepare bids for the company, with those already having investments in the sector including CVC Capital Partners, which has a stake in Medivet, a rival operator.

Both VetPartners and BC Partners declined to comment.