Buying + Selling: Morrisons sales, £3.2m portfolio, and a retiree leaving Welsh town under ‘threat’
Last week, C+D reported on Sykes Chemist Group putting up five of its nine pharmacies in the north west of England on the market for £3.2m.
The combined annual turnover of the five community pharmacies in Bolton and Lancaster is around £4.5m, with roughly 40,000 items dispensed across the sites per month.
Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas are a “hotbed of buyer activity" said Christie & Co’s pharmacy senior agent Tom Young.
High Green Pharmacy
A Sheffield village pharmacy in a Morrisons Daily convenience store has been sold to a first-time buyer.
High Green Pharmacy co-founder Manish Gupta said it was a “tough decision” to sell after opening the pharmacy in 2013, but added “the right buyer” has been found.
New owner Osman Zarroug said he had been looking to buy “for a while” and High Green seemed the “perfect fit from the moment I first saw it”.
The 72-hour community pharmacy dispenses an average of 9,300 items per month and is 150 yards away from a busy medical centre.
Christie’s Tom Young said he was “unsure how the market would perceive” High Green Pharmacy due to its unique location.
Leadgate Pharmacy
A high-dispensing and unopposed village pharmacy has been sold to a newly formed company.
Leadgate Pharmacy in Consett, County Durham, has been sold to a pair of pharmacists. One of the new co-owners, Manjusha Gunti, hopes the pharmacy will become “more than a place to collect prescriptions”.
“It will be a true community health hub, supporting healthier living, preventive care, and strong partnerships with local GPs, care homes, and residents,” Gunti said.
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He also plans to increase the services on offer and modernise the store’s operations.
Leadgate Pharmacy dispenses around 11,000 items per month and is next to a health centre that generates nearly 16,000 script items per month, with Leadgate dispensing around 56% of those.
It was sold by group operator Farah Chemists, who decided to sell the pharmacy it had owned since 2010 to focus on its five Newcastle branches.
Oakwood Pharmacy
A high-dispensing Mansfield pharmacy close to a GP surgery has been sold to an anonymous buyer.
Oakwood Pharmacy in Mansfield dispenses more than 23,000 items per month.
Hutchings director Alan Akerman said the sale “highlights the strong appetite we’re seeing for high-performing pharmacies in prime locations”.
S J Siggery Pharmacy
A coastal village pharmacy has been sold to a first-time buyer.
S J Siggery Pharmacy is on the Carmarthenshire coast to the west of Swansea and dispenses around 4,107 items per month on average.
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Hutchings associate director Paul Steet wished both parties “every success for the future” as the buyer looks to grow their business.
Retirement leaving Welsh town with ‘gap’
A retiring pharmacist is leaving a Welsh town with “a gap in pharmaceutical services” as its local MP is “deeply concerned” about primary care support for the area.
Danby’s Pharmacy of Llanfyllin sent a letter of notice to Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) on September 24 announcing its withdrawal from their NHS Pharmaceutical Services Contract, as the pharmacy will close on December 31.
PTHB released a statement on October 10 saying it “recognised the disappointment in Llanfyllin” and has been working to “identify a sustainable solution to this issue”.
But Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr Steve Witherden said a “wider threat” is facing the area while a provider is being sought by PTHB and a “plan B” is needed.
In a Facebook post on October 22, he wished “Mr Danby all the very best” for retirement and said the pharmacy will be “a big loss” to Llanfyllin as it dispenses 3,000 items to 1,300 people monthly.
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He said that Llanfyllin Group Practice would not be able to take on this dispensing volume as it would increase this activity by 14% and it sought “an immediate guarantee of additional funding support” from PTHB to consider this.
Witherden added: “I would very much like to see constituents, the Llanfyllin Group Practice and Health Board involved in a creative discussion on how to develop rural healthcare to keep patients healthy and at home and provide Wales with a real exemplar of how healthcare can be delivered in a rural setting.”
Cornwall pharmacy U-turn
A Cornwall pharmacy has now opened after two applications for a new pharmacy were rejected.
Randhawa Pharmacy has opened in St Austell after C+D previously reported that South West Pharmaceutical Services Regulations Committee had rejected previous applications as the applicant, Banns Pharmacy Ltd, had not "adequately identified a current need”.
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St Austell and Newquay MP Noah Law and councillor Jeremy Preece previously supported the need for a new pharmacy as locals complained about waiting times and lack of stock in the town.
Banns director Sarbjit Singh is now “very excited” to have opened and told local news: “We've got five other pharmacies already in Cornwall. But they are in the villages, so we are very excited to come in the town and provide our services.”
Bridlington Pharmacy
A seaside pharmacy on a shopping parade has been sold to an experienced north east operator.
Bridlington Pharmacy is situated just behind Bridlington’s promenade, and it has been bought by Emmanuel Ugboh, who owns two other pharmacies in Hartlepool and Filey.
Read more: Market round-up as 67 year old family-owned community pharmacy sold
It’s a standard hours community pharmacy dispensing around 7,300 items per month and has been sold by Medix AG Limited’s Anthony Onuchukwu, who is exploring business opportunities away from the sector.
“This pharmacy presented a fantastic opportunity for a local operator to come into a busy pharmacy which historically had been run by locum pharmacists,” Christie & Co pharmacy senior agent Tom Young said.
Skeltons Chemist
A Warwickshire pharmacy in a busy shopping parade has been sold to a first-time buyer.
Hutchings said the spacious Skeltons Chemist in Bedworth has “scope for growth” as it currently dispenses around 13,115 items per month.
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Its associate director Paul Steet sent his wishes to the sellers for their “well-earned retirement”.
Planning applications approved
Teignbridge District Council has approved planning permission for a pharmacy with three new flats to replace a restaurant.
Wellbeing UK Ltd sought permission to change the ground floor premises in Teignmouth’s Triangle to a pharmacy, with three new one-bedroom flats to be converted on the first, second and third floors.
A Blackburn community pharmacy in a Shell petrol station is set to move into a former tool hire shop.
4Court Blackburn will move to Whalley Banks and occupy the former HSS Hire shop with an opticians, with both operating on the ground floor and an office and staff room to be converted on the first floor.
Boots decisions await
A pharmacist is appealing to Morecambe residents again to reopen a Boots Pharmacy.
Asim Iqbal previously called for letters of support from residents who experienced issues after Boots Pharmacy Westgate closed down in February 2024.
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He posted on Facebook in July for testimonies of challenges residents faced accessing pharmaceutical services, saying “your stories can significantly influence the NHS’s decision and help restore essential care to our neighbourhood”.
Local news reported that Iqbal’s application to reopen the pharmacy was rejected and there is “one last chance at an appeal” to overturn the decision.
Read more: Pharmacy chain selling over half its estate for £3.2m
Meanwhile a vacated Boots Pharmacy in Craig-y-Don, Llandudno is subject to plans to convert it into a bar and restaurant.
The application by Stephen Roberts will have up to 11 tables and outside seating, as the premises have been empty since July 2023.
High Green Pharmacy, Leadgate Pharmacy and Bridlington Pharmacy have all been sold for undisclosed prices.
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