A MAJOR pharmacy chain is set to close a number of branches within weeks.
Lloyds Pharmacy is expected to pull down the shutters on four chemists in Suffolk and Bristol this month.
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The Sun understands the retailer will close its branch at Sainsbury’s in Winterstoke Road, Bristol, and Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, on April 18.
The Sainsbury’s in Fox Den Road, Bristol, is also set to close on April 19, reports the Bristol Post.
Plus, the chemist at the Sainsbury’s in Haycocks Road, Haverhill, will close on April 23, reports the East Anglian Daily Times.
A Lloyds Pharmacy spokesperson did not confirm the exact dates the four branches will be closing.
They added: “In January 2023 LloydsPharmacy announced the withdrawal of pharmacy services from all Sainsbury’s stores, to take place throughout 2023.
“Final plans for each pharmacy are being determined on a branch-by-branch basis.
“Branch teams have kept patients informed of when services from their specific pharmacy will end so that they can transfer their nominations to an alternative provision.
It added that stores outside the Sainsbury’s branches are not at risk of closure.
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It comes after sources told The Sun that Lloyds Pharmacy put all 1,300 branches “at risk” of closure due to a strategic review.
It has already announced the closure of 237 of its pharmacies in Sainsbury’s supermarkets by the end of the year and closed 76 stores in 2022.
The company employs 17,000 workers across the business and issues 150million prescriptions annually.
It also operates around 10% of UK pharmacies.
Some Lloyds Pharmacy branches have already started launching closing down sales as shoppers rush to pick up bargain items.
Pharmacies across the UK have struggled for years due to cuts in government funding and the soaring cost of medicine.
Chemists are also being asked to pick up extra slack from the NHS by providing more services, such as vaccinations.
The pharmacy industry has lost £1.6billion in the last 10 years as the health service’s pharmacy contract struggles to keep pace with inflation.
As a result, pharmacies are facing big cuts to their real-term funding, which is leading to the closures.
What other retailers are closing stores?
Lloyds Pharmacy isn’t the only retailer shutting shops as it battles the knock-on effects of high inflation.
Not only that, but the coronavirus pandemic has seen lots more consumers move towards online shopping and away from the high street.
M&Co started closing stores in March after the company fell into administration for the second time.
B&M has also been closing stores this year, but in good news, it’s also been opening branches as well.
Marks and Spencer is also set to close a number of branches this spring, while some have already pulled down their shutters.
Stationery giant Paperchase started closing down stores in March too.
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