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Lloyds Pharmacy is closing 237 stores as the industry is under ‘more extreme pressure than ever before’
The UK’s second largest pharmacy chain is closing 237 branches.
Lloyds Pharmacy will close all of its outlets in Sainsbury’s supermarkets by the end of the year, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
Boss Kevin Birch blamed “changing market conditions” and promised a “smooth transition.”
Job threat: Lloyds Pharmacy to close 237 branches by the end of the year, including all outlets in Sainsbury’s supermarkets
But the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said the news was “extremely worrying” as community pharmacies’ funding has been cut by nearly a third in seven years, leaving them “struggling to make ends meet.”
Chief Executive Officer Janet Morrison said: ‘The network is the answer to so many healthcare problems, but many are struggling.
“The sharp fall in their funding coupled with headcount and other pressures is making it increasingly difficult to maintain services and impossible to do more.” She called on the government to invest in the sector.
The closures come as Lloyds sells its branches in Scotland and Wales and some in England. In March 2021, it had 1,351 branches.