Avicenna and Day Lewis have signed a partnership deal to jointly develop services and support packages.

The two independent groups will work together to provide "360-degree support" to their pharmacies and members in areas including merchandising, business monitoring and training, following an agreement announced on Friday (January 25).

The agreement, signed on Thursday, would enable the groups to avoid the "duplication of time, effort and cost", Avicenna chief executive Salim Jetha told C+D.

The businesses also planned to expand their presence "beyond the M25" by jointly acquiring new pharmacies, he added. But Mr Jetha could not yet commit to numbers, saying it would depend on the availability of commercially viable acquisitions.

Mr Jetha named the relaunch and expansion of Avicenna's ACE Plus scheme, a virtual chain initiative piloted in 2010, as the first priority for the partnership over the coming months.

Under the agreement, the groups will retain their independent status and will not hold equity stakes in each other. Avicenna told C+D it started discussions with Day Lewis a year ago to devise the deal, which will be an ongoing partnership between the two groups.

"This is a great deal for our members because it will give them access to a wider range of support packages more quickly than if Avicenna was to develop future packages itself," said Mr Jetha.

Day Lewis branded the deal a "logical step for both parties". "By pooling resources and utilising each company's expertise, we will be able to develop future support packages more quickly and efficiently," said Day Lewis chief executive Kirit Patel.

Avicenna currently has 1,000 members, who benefit as trading members and shareholders. Day Lewis is the largest family-owned pharmacy chain in Europe, with 200 pharmacies under tis management.