Leading pharmacy chain Lloyds is set to shut all of its supermarket-based branches by the end of play today, it has been reported. All 237 outlets located in Sainsbury's will cease to exist after today, according to Pharmacy Business magazine.
While the closures were supposed to be phased out over the next year, they have been dramatically been brought forward. An earlier announcement pinned the blame on 'changing market conditions' for the move towards widespread closures, which is thought to put 2,000 jobs on the chopping block across the UK.
It follows on from a major restructuring operation at the firm, which is the UK's second largest chemist firm behind Boots. It also comes after Aurelius, a multinational private equity firm, purchased the chain from Sainsbury's last year.
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The Mirror reports that a spokesperson from LloydsPharmacy told Pharmacy Business: "In January 2023 LloydsPharmacy announced the withdrawal of pharmacy services from all Sainsbury’s stores, to take place throughout 2023. It can now confirm that any remaining branches within the Sainsbury’s estate will close by 13th June 2023.
"Throughout the process, LloydsPharmacy has been committed to helping patients easily find a suitable alternative provision. It has kept patients informed of when services from their specific pharmacy will end so that they can transfer their nominations as needed."
Earlier in 2023, Lloyds Pharmacy were also reportedly considering closing down a number of standalone stores, not affected by the aforementioned announcement. Unlike rivals in Boots and Superdrug, which offer a range of health and beauty products, Lloyds is more reliant on pharmaceuticals to bring in income during the current challenges the sector faces.
The Grocer reports that this accounts for somewhere in the region of 87 per cent of its sales.
At the time of the previous announcement, a Sainsbury's spokesperson, said: "LloydsPharmacy is withdrawing pharmacy services from our stores over the coming months. We will work with them to ensure customers are clear on how they can access an alternative pharmacy provision to meet their needs."
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