Husband and wife team Dimitrios Giatras and Kyriaki (Kelly) Ntaoutidou, have purchased a dental business with two surgeries in Paisley, thanks to Royal Bank of Scotland.
Happy Smiles was acquired by the couple after securing a funding package of £500,000 from the bank.
Dimitrios and Kelly, who originate from Greece, bought the popular business from Alastair Watson who held the reins for almost 40 years and grew a patient base of approximately 13,000.
Under the new ownership, Happy Smiles has already introduced new services to the practice, including dental implants and cosmetic dentistry, which are attracting new customers.
Six new dentists, three of whom filled existing vacancies, have joined across the Happy Smiles St Mirren Brae and Ralston clinics and this has been further strengthened by the appointment of three new dental nurses. The increased staff will allow the surgeries to welcome new NHS patients.
Refurbishment works are also underway across the two sites and are expected to complete in early 2020. This will include upgraded reception and waiting areas and new internal and external signage has also been installed.
Dimitrios Giatras commented: “This is a truly exciting time for Happy Smiles as we take ownership of two successful practices in Paisley and extend its offering of services to match growing customer demand in cosmetic and implant dentistry.
“As a first-time buyer, it was important for us to keep the core values of the previous successful ownership to ensure we continued its fantastic reputation. We have received a warm welcome from the community, and we look forward to building on the excellent foundation cemented over the years by the previous owner, Alastair.
“The funding and advice we received from Royal Bank of Scotland was critical in achieving this major business milestone, so we’d like to say a big thank you for their expertise. Our relationship manager, Andrew Scott, provided solid and reliable advice which made us feel confident every step of the way.”
Andrew Scott, relationship manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, commented: “This is a significant purchase for Dimitrios and Kelly, and a rewarding deal for the RBS team to advise on. The duo capitalised on this excellent opportunity and we wish them all the very best in the future.”