A Leeds dentist has opened his second practice after securing £800,000 to expand his business.
James Cooper, 33, took over Briggate Dental in Leeds city centre in 2017 but quickly realised he needed another practice to cope with the increasing demand for his services.
Mr Cooper has now used the £800,000 to acquired Langdale Dental, in Headingley. The two practices now have 4,500 patients and are seeing increased demand for cosmetic work.
Mr Cooper has also created eight new jobs across the practices, including dentists, nurses, and a facial aesthetics practitioner who can offer botox and fillers to patients.
He has also taken on three apprentices. One of the apprentices recently qualified as a nurse while the other is studying dentistry at Sheffield University.
Mr Cooper said: “I joined Briggate in 2013 as an associate dentist and when the owner put the practice up for sale, I jumped at the chance to buy it from her. It’s a lovely, friendly practice where staff put patients at ease and we’ve taken this ethos to Langdale.”
Commenting on the rise in demand for dental work, he added: “A lot of people are having cosmetic work done because they’ve saved money during lockdown and braces are very on-trend.
“I also think people respect how important oral health is as well as general health, day-to-day mental health and how people feel about themselves.”
The £800,000 refinancing package was secured from Unity Trust Bank.
Paul Kelly, Relationship Manager at Unity Trust Bank, said: “At Unity we align our practices to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are a blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future and key themes include health and wellbeing, education, and employment.
“James has been very successful in encouraging better oral health in West Yorkshire and creating new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities and we’re delighted to support his expansion plans.”
