Not what the doctor ordered! All 237 Lloyds Pharmacy branches inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets will close forever TOMORROW
- The closures are believed to be putting 2,000 jobs at risk within the UK
- Read more: Lloyds Pharmacy is to axe the 237 pharmacy services in Sainsbury’s
All 237 Lloyds Pharmacy branches inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets will close their doors forever tomorrow.
The closures were initially set to happen over the next year but were pushed forward.
The decision is believed to be putting 2,000 jobs at risk within the UK, with a previous announcement blaming ‘changing market conditions’.
According to a report by The Mirror, the closures come after a huge restructuring operation at the firm – the UK’s second biggest chain of chemists after beauty store Boots.
A Lloyds Pharmacy spokesperson told Pharmacy Business: ‘In January 2023 Lloyds Pharmacy announced the withdrawal of pharmacy services from all Sainsbury’s stores, to take place throughout 2023.
All 237 Lloyds Pharmacy branches inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets will close their doors forever tomorrow
‘It can now confirm that any remaining branches within the Sainsbury’s estate will close by 13th June 2023.’
Lloyds Pharmacy were reportedly thinking about closures of some standalone stores earlier this year, which are not affected by today’s announcement.
In January, Lloyds Pharmacy announced it will close its 237 pharmacy sites within Sainsbury’s supermarkets just seven years after buying them for £125million.
It said the move was a strategic review ‘in response to changing market conditions’.
A previous announcement blamed ‘changing market conditions’ for the decision, which is thought to put 2,000 jobs at risk within the UK (File image)
LloydsPharmacy added it’s ‘exploring options’ for each site individually and will confirm exact closure plans on a ‘branch-by-branch’ basis. But it expects to complete the process over the course of 2023.
It stressed that it is working with all colleagues impacted by the announcement but did not disclose how many workers would be affected.
The decision comes seven years after LloydsPharmacy first snapped up the pharmacies from the retailer for £125million in 2015.
It comes amid growing pressure on the UK pharmacy sector, following calls for increased state funding support.
MailOnline has contacted Lloyds Pharmacy for comment.
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