Headcorn Pharmacy
A community pharmacy within a Kent GP surgery has been bought by a small, local independent operator (July 15).
Headcorn Pharmacy is a standard hours pharmacy purchased by Hardik Desai of Ticehurst Pharmacy Ltd, who owns nine other pharmacies across East Sussex and Kent.
Desai said he is “delighted” to own Headcorn Pharmacy and plans “to improve the advanced services currently being offered to give the town more choice with their primary healthcare”.
The pharmacy is situated in a GP surgery in Headcorn and dispenses an average of 11,000 items per month, with the sale part of a strategic divestment by its previous corporate owners.
Wilstead Pharmacy
A high-dispensing Bedfordshire pharmacy has been sold by owners who decided to focus on other health sectors (July 11).
Bhavik and Prity Patel have owned Wilstead Pharmacy since 2015 and it dispenses 11,000 items on average per month.
Read more: Buying + Selling: Local indie expansion, grade II listed upgrades and retiring sellers...
They have sold it so they can focus on their dental group and aesthetics clinic.
Christie & Co pharmacy director Carl Steer said the pair “originally instructed me to market the pharmacy in 2021, where a sale was secured quickly, but the timing proved to be not right on reflection for them”.
It was purchased in a quick 16-week sale by Kishore Mandava, who already owns Bright Health Pharmacy in Greenford, Middlesex.
Day Lewis backs warehouse plans
A Day Lewis-backed application for a 21,000 sqm warehouse has been deferred to carry out more risk assessments (July 1).
Gompels Healthcare submitted plans to Wiltshire Council in December to expand its premises with a new site in Melksham for “storage and distribution of medical, janitorial and early years supplies”.
Day Lewis executive director Sam Patel wrote a letter of support in May saying Gompels is “a respected and forward-thinking company in our sector” and the expansion plans “represents a significant opportunity not only for the local economy but also for the broader healthcare supply chain”.
“We would strongly encourage the council to support their application,” added Patel, but the latest council meeting determined that the “application be deferred to allow the applicant additional time to complete the necessary ecology, flood risk and noise assessments”.
The council had previously discouraged the application at the Melksham site as it had concerns on the impact to nearby properties, including a grade-II listed building on a farm site.
Housing development
A housing proposal with plans for a pharmacy within it has been launched in Essex.
The plan to build 360 new homes in Great Wakering will be submitted by Friends Farm Limited to Rochford Council in the autumn as it is currently holding a public consultation on the proposal.
Read more: Property round-up: An 18-day sale, plus takeaway and bar conversions
It says there will be “a new community hub with space for potential facilities such as a doctor’s surgery, pharmacy and village shop” in the plans.
The development will also include green open spaces, play areas and a new football pitch.
From a Lloyds to a music venue
Plans are underway to turn an ex-Lloyds into a music and arts venue in Stroud.
Local artist Everest Wilson-Copp wans to turn the premises on the corner of Locking Hill and Slad Road to become Locking Hill Studio.
He held a launch event at the end of May as he plans to make it into a livestreaming venue, according to local news.
Springfield Pharmacy
A busy high street community pharmacy in Hertfordshire has been sold to a nearby local operator (July 17).
Jade Pharmacy Group have sold Springfield Pharmacy in Harpenden to Ali Mansour of Manor Pharmacy Ltd in Wheathampstead, making it their third pharmacy they own.
Read more: Property round-up: Indie chain growth, Boots for sale, Hammam Baths, and Hutchings moves to an EOT
Springfield Pharmacy dispenses an average of 9,000 items per month and Christie & Co pharmacy director Mark Page said it’s “a desirable volume pharmacy in a honeypot town in one of the most sought-after counties”.
“It represents a clever acquisition for Ali, who is very familiar with the community of Harpenden thanks to his other successful pharmacies,” he added.
Former police station pharmacy
A public consultation has heard plans for a Birmingham pharmacy to move to the site of a former police station as part of a new health centre (July 29).
Councillor Alex Yip posted on the Sutton Coldfield Neighbourhood Forum’s Facebook group that Vesey Pharmacy plans to relocate there after a public consultation was held on the plans.
Read more: Property round-up: Sales, openings, planning permissions, and very efficient robots...
He added that parking concerns remained but said there were “good public transport links” and if there are no spaces then it “hopefully will encourage people to park a little further away, pick a prescription up, then carry on shopping - part of your 7k daily steps”.
Dessert takeaway and restaurant transformations
A pharmacy has applied to relocate across the road into a dessert takeaway (July 2).
Manor Pharmacy’s Talha Patel has submitted planning application “for change of use” of the dessert takeaway so it can relocate, along with a proposal for a single storey extension at the back of the premises.
And plans to turn a seaside restaurant into a pharmacy have been submitted (July 23).
Wellbeing (UK) Ltd’s Raman Gangwar has applied for the 5 The Triangle location in Teignmouth, Devon, to be changed from a restaurant into “a pharmacy on the ground floor and the conversion of the first, second, and third floors to form three self-contained one-bedroom residential flats”.
Pharmacy relocation approved
Councillors have approved a pharmacy to relocate into a new health centre to be built in a former Boots (July 9).
C+D reported last month on the proposal for Abbey Pharmacy to move to the Effingham Street location in Rotherham.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported the plan had been approved and the pharmacy will move early next year.
