The UK’s second-largest pharmacy chain is shutting down all its branches in Sainsbury’s supermarkets after the decision to withdraw from the market was pushed forward.
All 237 Lloyds Pharmacy branches will operate for the last day on Tuesday, shutting down operations forever in Sainsbury’s.
The closure of the leading pharmacy chain stores, initially scheduled for gradual implementation over the course of the upcoming year, has now been brought forward.
The closures are expected to put 2,000 jobs at risk in the UK in the decision that follows a major restructuring operation at the firm.
“In January 2023 Lloyds Pharmacy announced the withdrawal of pharmacy services from all Sainsbury’s stores, to take place throughout 2023,” a spokesperson from LloydsPharmacy told Pharmacy Business.
“It can now confirm that any remaining branches within the Sainsbury’s estate will close by 13th June 2023.”
It added: “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.”
The decision comes after Aurelius, a multinational private equity firm, purchased Lloyds Pharmacy’s parent company McKesson UK and announced major restructuring plans.
It blamed “changing market conditions” for the closures, adding that it is “exploring options” for each site individually and will announce exact closure plans on a “branch-by-branch” basis.
Lloyds Pharmacy was also reportedly considering closures of some standalone stores at the beginning of this year.
After the announcement by Lloyds Pharmacy last year, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Lloyds Pharmacy 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.”
