Practice Pharmacy leaders have defended the profession against a Which? consumer report that found that two in five pharmacies are offering unsatisfactory advice on medicines.

The rise in Alliance Boots profits could mask underlying problems in the business, Planet Retail senior retail analyst Stephen Springham has warned.

Business Alliance Boots has missed out on a sixth year of double-digit trading profit growth, but executive chairman Stefano Pessina said a 6.1 per cent rise to £1.3bn reflected "particularly good" results in the UK

People A judge has thrown out claims that Boots discriminated against 140 pharmacists by reducing their premium pay, ruling that the employees were too late in filing their cases.

Practice The UK health and beauty giant has given extra training to all its pharmacists to enhance the advice they offer patients on controlling symptoms and using inhalers

As the NHS reforms shift healthcare towards localism, charities are playing a larger role and pharmacists are finding ways to develop partnerships

After their merger last year, Boots and US giant Walgreens are looking to share ideas that will have ramifications across the entire UK pharmacy sector

The union’s general secretary John Murphy tells C+D why he is fighting to negotiate on behalf of Boots employees

As he assumes the role of superintendent pharmacist, Boots' Steve Banks offers a diplomatic verdict on the issues facing community pharmacy

C+D Awards insight: dedicated staff and strong relationships with GPs are vital when setting up a pharmacy warfarin clinic

Practice Pharmacy leaders have defended the profession against a Which? consumer report that found that two in five pharmacies are offering unsatisfactory advice on medicines.

Business The potential benefits of the NPA's click and collect online service have split contractors, who cannot agree whether the scheme would attract new customers to their pharmacies

Practice A PCT-commissioned scheme saw the Isle of Wight’s influenza vaccination rate climb by nearly 10 per cent, with particular success in the over-65 age group

Business Celesio UK chief Cormac Tobin (pictured) said he couldn't see any long-term benefits in selling food, claiming Boots was trying to be “a lot of things to a lot of people”, while Lloydspharmacy focused on healthcare.

Practice Rowlands Pharmacy has joined forces with charity Parkinson’s UK to offer support to sufferers through its 510 pharmacies.

Business Eight independent pharmacies and Tesco have joined the four largest multiples on a national services pilot aimed at demonstrating the "expanded role" that pharmacists can play within healthcare.

Business Sainsbury’s has set out plans to introduce its experimental healthy living programme into all of its in-store pharmacies, following the success of the trial last year.

People Boots is still one of the best big companies to work for in the UK, according to the Sunday Times' top employer list, but was overtaken this year by the Midcounties Co-operative.

Business Multiples and supermarkets will move increasingly towards providing a one-stop healthcare service, offering consumers pharmacy, dental and GP services all under one roof, retail analyst Planet Retail has forecast.

Practice A London Tesco store has agreed to look at re-training its staff after a 13-year-old was sold three packets of paracetamol in one transaction.