In January, C+D reported that a number of multiples including Well were eyeing up staff at Lloydspharmacy branches in Sainsbury’s stores across the UK, after the multiple announced it was withdrawing from the supermarket chain. 

At the time, the fate of each individual branch – and its staff – remained unclear, but C+D this week revealed that all 237 branches would be closed by yesterday (June 13).

Read more: All Sainsbury’s Lloydspharmacy branches to close by tomorrow, chain confirms

Now, Well Pharmacy has exclusively told C+D that it has taken on a range of ex-Lloydspharmacy staff.

“Well has supported a number of pharmacy colleagues, pharmacists, support staff and field managers from Lloydspharmacy to secure new opportunities so they can continue to support their communities”, a spokesperson said.

They told C+D yesterday that the multiple would “love” to help more former Lloydspharmacy staff to “secure new roles” with the multiple, adding that they should contact Well’s recruitment team “to discuss their career needs”. 

Read more: Boots: 1,500 jobs open for pharmacists 'impacted by Lloydspharmacy closures'

“We can promise a culture where they can feel proud, valued and confident that Well is dedicated to serving patients and customers for the long-term,” they said.

It remains unclear exactly how many former Sainsbury’s-based Lloydspharmacy staff the multiple has taken on.

Well is the third largest pharmacy chain in the UK with 760 branches, according to its website.

 

Multiple pledges

 

Soon after the January announcement, several multiples and larger independent chains released statements indicating that they would be interested in snapping up pharmacy staff that were made redundant by the then pending closures.

Well Pharmacy said at the time that it had “lots of roles available for staff affected by the news” and announced in February that it was “confident” it could “fill the gap” left by the Sainsbury’s Lloydspharmacy closures.

Read more: Well 'confident' it can 'fill gap' left by Lloydspharmacy Sainsbury closures

Boots also said that it had 1,500 jobs open for pharmacists “impacted by Lloydspharmacy closures”, while Day Lewis Pharmacy said that it was “keen to help” impacted Lloydspharmacy colleagues “looking for their next role”.

Asda, in the midst of its own closures, added its voice to say that it was “as ever keen to help any Lloyds colleagues” who are “looking for their next role”. 

Read more: 'Around a hundred’ ex-Lloydspharmacy Sainsbury’s staff in redundancy dispute

When approached by C+D about whether it has taken on any ex-Lloydspharmacy in Sainsbury’s staff, Asda said that it could not comment. 

Other multiples contacted by C+D - Boots, Day Lewis and Superdrug - did not reply by the time of publication.

The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), which advocates for the interests of large multiples, also said it was unable to comment on behalf of its members.

 

Shockwaves

 

On Monday (June 12), C+D exclusively revealed that all 237 Lloydspharmacy branches in Sainsbury’s stores would be closed permanently on June 13, five months after breaking the news that the multiple intended to withdraw its services from the supermarket in the course of 2023.

And C+D today (June 14) exclusively revealed that “around a hundred” ex-Lloydspharmacy Sainsbury’s staff are engaged in an ongoing redundancy dispute with Lloydspharmacy.

A spokesperson for Lloydspharmacy said that since the closures were announced, it “has been working hard to support all colleagues affected by the process”. 

Read more: Lloydspharmacy quits Sainsbury’s: What we do (and don't) know so far

“In doing so, Lloydspharmacy has ensured that it is acting responsibly and equitably towards all colleagues impacted by the change,” they told C+D.  

Meanwhile, the news of the closures has sparked dismay across the sector, with Community Pharmacy England (CPE) – formerly known as PSNC - describing the closures as “deeply worrying and one of the clearest signals yet of just how much community pharmacies are struggling to make ends meet”.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp), told C+D that AIMp members can’t afford extra staffing “to manage what will be sudden and unprofitable extra dispensing volume”.