All Sainsbury’s Lloydspharmacy branches to close by tomorrow, chain confirms
C+D has exclusively confirmed that June 13 will mark the end of Lloydspharmacy services in Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
All 237 Lloydspharmacy branches based in Sainsbury’s stores will be permanently closed by tomorrow (June 13), C+D can exclusively reveal.
In January, C+D exclusively revealed that Lloydspharmacy would withdraw pharmacy services from all 237 Sainsbury’s in-store pharmacy branches “over the course of 2023”.
But at the time, Lloydspharmacy told C+D that whether the stores would close or be sold would be determined on a branch-by-branch basis.
Read more: Lloydspharmacy quits Sainsbury’s: What we do (and don't) know so far
Until now, C+D had only been able to confirm the locations of seven such branches with Lloydspharmacy last month – with the multiple saying at the time that two were set to shut their doors on July 23 and 24 – and one in February.
C+D had subsequently noted many local media and social media reports from across the country signalling different closing dates for some Lloydspharmacy branches, although many remained unconfirmed.
Read more: Lloydspharmacy confirms locations and dates of six Sainsbury's branch closures
But today (June 12), C+D can exclusively reveal that Sainsbury’s has confirmed that all the branches will be closed by tomorrow.
The supermarket told C+D that it has been notified that Lloydspharmacy has agreed with the NHS that all its pharmacies in Sainsbury’s stores will close by June 13.
Here are their locations:
See a full list of the closure locations at the bottom of this article.
C+D has contacted Lloydspharmacy for comment.
Sainsbury’s “finalising” use for vacant space
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson told C+D that since Lloydspharmacy’s January announcement, the supermarket has been “working with [the multiple] to ensure customers are clear on how they can access an alternative pharmacy provision to meet their needs”.
The supermarket said that the pharmacy chain has now served notice on all of its pharmacies in Sainsbury’s stores.
Read more: UPDATED: Lloydspharmacy: Kevin Birch steps back from operational role as CEO
Sainsbury’s is “currently finalising how the space vacated by Lloydspharmacy will be used on a permanent basis and this will vary by store”, the spokesperson added.
“Customers may notice some temporary adjustments in aisles where pharmacy counters are being removed and we would like to thank everyone for bearing with us while we make these changes,” they said.
Redundancy row
It comes as Lloydspharmacy has formally rejected a claim for enhanced redundancy benefits in the latest stage of a dispute with former Sainsbury’s staff.
In a move the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) branded “disappointing, but not entirely unexpected” given Lloydspharmacy’s position on the matter to date, the multiple decided not to uphold a grievance from ex-Sainsbury’s employees that claimed they were entitled to enhanced redundancy pay.
Read more: Lloydspharmacy rejects ex-Sainsbury’s staff enhanced redundancy claims
The PDA said that its legal team would “assess the outcome and consider the next steps”, which it warned could take the form of an appeal.
The union had said in February that it was considering a “legal challenge” over the dispute concerning Lloydspharmacy staff at Sainsbury’s branches.
In January, Lloydspharmacy told C+D that “how colleagues are potentially affected” by its withdrawal from Sainsbury’s stores would vary branch to branch.
Lloydspharmacy latest
Meanwhile, the multiple confirmed in April that it is “selectively selling” some of its branches, but stressed that only those located in Sainsbury’s stores are “at risk of closure”.
Most recently, 30 of the multiple’s branches across Scotland were snapped up by rival chain Rowlands, while independent pharmacy chains Davidson's Chemists and Kamsons Pharmacy have recently announced their acquisitions of five Lloydspharmacy branches apiece.
Read more: Revealed: Locations of Lloydspharmacy branches bought by Rowlands
Last month, the PDA issued advice to its members following claims that some Lloydspharmacy branches are being sold in a two-part share sale process.
And C+D exclusively revealed last month that Lloydspharmacy CEO Kevin Birch has “stepped back from his operational role” at the multiple.
Read more: Second pharmacy to be reconsidered for town with 'inadequate' Lloydspharmacy
In July 2015, Lloydspharmacy announced the purchase of Sainsbury’s 277 in-store pharmacies for £125 million.
In 2018, C+D revealed that ten of these branches had closed since the takeover, while the multiple reduced the trading hours in 100-hour branches in Sainsbury’s stores in late-2021.
Then in 2021, Lloydspharmacy was bought by private equity firm Aurelius Group for £477 million. And in April 2022, C+D reported that Lloydspharmacy had decided to divest 76 branches in the 2020/21 financial year.
Read more: PDA issues advice as Lloydspharmacy moves ahead with divestment process
The news follows supermarket chain Asda’s confirmation earlier this month that its own proposals to close seven in-store pharmacies will go ahead, with the branches set to close their doors on August 3.
And in April, Tesco exclusively confirmed to C+D that it would be closing eight in-store pharmacies, all of which operated as 100-hour pharmacies and did not receive enough footfall to justify their opening hours.
Full list of Lloydspharmacy/Sainsbury's closures
- Alperton, Middlesex
- Alphington Road, Devon
- Altrincham, Cheshire
- Amblecote, West Midlands
- Apsley Mills, Buckinghamshire
- Archer Road, South Yorkshire
- Arnold, Nottinghamshire
- Ashton Moss, Greater Manchester
- Badger Farm, Hampshire
- Bagshot Rd, Berkshire
- Ballymena, County Antrim
- Bamber Bridge, Lancashire
- Banbury, Oxfordshire
- Barnstaple, Devon
- Barnwood, Gloucestershire
- Bath, Avon
- Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
- Berryden, Aberdeenshire
- Bicester, Oxfordshire
- Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
- Bishop Auckland, County Durham
- Blackheath, West Midlands
- Bognor Regis, West Sussex
- Bolton, Lancashire
- Bramingham Park, Bedfordshire
- Brentwood, Essex
- Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan
- Broadcut, Hampshire
- Brookwood, Surrey
- Burnley, Lancashire
- Burpham, Surrey
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
- Bybrook, Kent
- Calcot, Berkshire
- Cannock, West Midlands
- Canterbury, Kent
- Carlisle, Cumbria
- Castle Point, Dorset
- Chaddesden, Derbyshire
- Chadwell Heath, Essex
- Chafford Hundred, Essex
- Cheadle, Greater Manchester
- Chester, Cheshire
- Chesterfield, Derbyshire
- Chichester, West Sussex
- Chippenham, Wiltshire
- Chiswick, Middlesex
- Christchurch, Dorset
- Cobham, Surrey
- Coldhams Lane, Cambridgeshire
- Coreys Mill, Hertfordshire
- Court House Green, West Midlands
- Cramlington, Tyne And Wear
- Crayford, Kent
- Cromwell Road, Greater London
- Crystal Palace, Greater London
- Darlington, County Durham
- Dartford, Kent
- Denton, Greater Manchester
- Didcot, Oxfordshire
- Dome Roundabout, Hertfordshire
- Dulwich, Greater London
- Dunstable, Bedfordshire
- Durham, County Durham
- East Filton, Bristol
- East Grinstead, West Sussex
- East Mayne, Essex
- East Prescot Rd, Merseyside
- Eastleigh, Hampshire
- Edenthorpe, South Yorkshire
- Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
- Eltham, Kent
- Ely, Cambridgeshire
- Emersons Green, Bristol
- Exeter, Devon
- Fairfield Park, Bedfordshire
- Fallowfield, Greater Manchester
- Farlington, Hampshire
- Farnborough, Hampshire
- Fosse Park, Leicestershire
- Frome, Somerset
- Glen Rd, Leicestershire
- Gloucester Quays, Gloucestershire
- Godalming, Surrey
- Charlton Riverside, Kent
- Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire
- Hadleigh Road, Suffolk
- Halifax, West Yorkshire
- Hampden, East Sussex
- Hankeridge Farm, Somerset
- Harlow, Essex
- Harrogate, North Yorkshire
- Haverhill, Suffolk
- Hayes, Middlesex
- Haywards Heath, West Sussex
- Hazel Grove, Cheshire
- Heaton, Tyne And Wear
- Heaton Park, Greater Manchester
- Hedge End, Hampshire
- Hendon, Middlesex
- Hereford, Herefordshire
- Heyford Hill, Oxfordshire
- High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
- Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
- Horsham, West Sussex
- Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
- Isle of Wight
- Keighley, West Yorkshire
- Kempshott, Hampshire
- Kempston, Bedfordshire
- Kenton, Middlesex
- Kidderminster, Worcestershire
- Kidlington, Oxfordshire
- Kiln Lane, Surrey
- Kings Lynn, Norfolk
- Ladbroke Grove, Greater London
- Larkfield, Kent
- Leamington, Warwickshire
- Lee Green, Kent
- Leeds Moortown, West Yorkshire
- Leek, Staffordshire
- Letchworth, Hertfordshire
- Lewes Rd, Sussex
- Lincoln, Lincolnshire
- Liverpool (Woolton), Merseyside
- Locksbottom, Greater London
- London Colney, Hertfordshire
- Longwater Lane, Norfolk
- Loughborough, Leicestershire
- Low Hall, Greater London
- Luton, Bedfordshire
- Macclesfield, Cheshire
- Maidenhead, Berkshire
- Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
- Marsh Mills, Devon
- Marshall Lake, West Midlands
- Meadowbank, Lothian
- Melksham, Wiltshire
- Mere Green, West Midlands
- Merton, Greater London
- Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
- Monks Cross, North Yorkshire
- Morecambe, Cumbria
- Nantwich, Cheshire
- New Barnet, Hertfordshire
- New Cross Gate, Kent
- Newbury, Berkshire
- Newbury Park, Essex
- Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
- Newhaven, East Sussex
- Newport, Gwent
- Newton Abbot, Devon
- Nine Elms, Greater London
- North Cheam, Surrey
- Northfield, West Midlands
- Northwich, Cheshire
- Oldbury, West Midlands
- Osmaston, Derbyshire
- Paignton, Devon
- Penzance, Cornwall
- Penrith, Cumbria
- Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- Pinhoe Road, Devon
- Pound Lane, Norfolk
- Preston, Lancashire
- Purley Way, Surrey
- Queens Rd, Norfolk
- Redbank Rd, Lancashire
- Reedswood, West Midlands
- Rice Lane, Merseyside
- Richmond, Surrey
- Romford, Essex
- Rugby, Warwickshire
- Rustington, West Sussex
- Sale, Cheshire
- Salford, Greater Manchester
- Scarborough, North Yorkshire
- Scunthorpe, East Riding Of Yorkshire
- Sedlescombe Road, East Sussex
- Sevenoaks, Kent
- Shorehead, West Yorkshire
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
- Slough, Berkshire
- South Ruislip, Greater London
- Southend, Essex
- Southport, Merseyside
- Spalding, Lincolnshire
- Springfield, Essex
- St Albans, Hertfordshire
- Stanmore, Middlesex
- Stanway, Essex
- Stirling, Stirlingshire
- Straiton, Lothian
- Streatham, Greater London
- Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Sudbury, Suffolk
- Sunderland, Tyne And Wear
- Sunderland North, Tyne And Wear
- Sury Basin, Surrey
- Swadlincote, Derbyshire
- Swansea, West Glamorgan
- Sydenham, Greater London
- Tadley, Hampshire
- Talbot Heath, Dorset
- Taplow, Berkshire
- Team Valley, Tyne And Wear
- Telford, Shropshire
- Tewkesbury Road, Gloucestershire
- Thanet Westwoodcross, Kent
- Thetford, Suffolk
- Thornhill, Glamorgan
- Torquay, Devon
- Truro, Cornwall
- Tunbridge Wells, Kent
- Upper Norwood, Greater London
- Upton, Cheshire
- Urmston, Greater Manchester
- Wakefield, West Yorkshire
- Walton, Surrey
- Warlingham, Surrey
- Warren Heath, Suffolk
- Watchmoor Park, Surrey
- Water Lane, Surrey
- Wednesfield, West Midlands
- Weedon Road, Northamptonshire
- Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
- West Green, Sussex
- West Park Farm, Kent
- Whitechapel, Greater London
- Whitehouse Farm, County Durham
- Whitley Bay, Tyne And Wear
- Whitstable, Kent
- Wigan, Greater Manchester
- Winchmore Hill, Greater London
- Winnersh, Berkshire
- Winterstoke Road, Bristol
- Witney, Oxfordshire