Approximately a quarter of its online delivery offering will be OTC products, ranging from ibuprofen and paracetamol to eyedrops and teething gel, a Boots spokesperson told C+D yesterday (August 23). Boots will not sell pharmacy (P) medicines through the Deliveroo app, the spokesperson specified.

From today (August 24), 14 Boots branches across Britain will initially pilot this service, which the spokesperson said is designed to give Boots customers greater convenience, particularly for any products they might need quickly.

Lloydspharmacy also partnered with Deliveroo last year, piloting a similar OTC medicines delivery service to the one Boots is running. A Lloydspharmacy spokesperson told C+D today that patients can currently buy OTC medicines on the Deliveroo app from 40 branches offering this service. 

“As the first pharmacy to launch this type of initiative, Lloydspharmacy is continually in discussions with the providers of great customer solutions, with a view to rolling out more of these partnerships in the near future,” the spokesperson added.

Boots’ offer on Deliveroo

Cough and cold medicine, as well as hayfever relief products will be available through the pilot, which currently includes four locations across London and branches in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and Newcastle, among other places.

The partnership with Deliveroo could expand to more Boots pharmacies in the future if the pilot branches are successful, the multiple said.

Boots UK e-commerce director Paula Bobbett said the new partnership “will be super handy for times when you need something urgently but can’t leave the house, [for instance] if you’re feeling unwell or are looking after your kids”. 

In July, Boots formally launched its online Health Hub – a healthcare platform where patients can access 99 “pay as you go” services from medical professionals remotely, and an online doctor service for quick access to advice and prescription-only medicines via video consultations. The online doctor service is operated by pharmacists alongside nurses and doctors.

Lloyds partnership “exceeded expectations”

Updating C+D on its partnership with Deliveroo, a Lloydspharmacy spokesperson said it has “exceeded expectations”. Fifty “medical essentials” can now be ordered from 40 Lloydspharmacy branches, up from the initial 16 locations at launch in June last year.