Contractors have joined forces to persuade the Co-operative Group to sell its pharmacies to the independent sector.

The owners of pharmacy chains Whitworth Chemists, Mayberry Pharmacy, Jhoots Pharmacy and Weldricks Pharmacy were concerned that independent contractors had not been consulted about the future of the Co-operative Group's pharmacy business, which is expected to be sold later this year.

The contractors, who between them own more than 1,000 pharmacies, had formed the legal partnership Pastophor LLP to bid for the Co-operative Pharmacy and ensure it remained focused on patient care rather than profit, they said.

Whitworth Chemists, Mayberry Pharmacy, Jhoots Pharmacy and Weldricks Pharmacy have formed a legal partnership to bid for the Co-operative Group's pharmacy business

More on the Co-operative Pharmacy sale Alliance Boots bids for Co-operative Pharmacy Pharmacy ‘not part' of Co-operative's future strategy In mourning for the co-operative approach

Pastophor managing partner Damian Kissane, a financial services and healthcare advisor, said the legal entity had enough interest from pharmacists to bid for "over 400" of the Co-operative Group's branches. However, he hoped that support from other contractors would allow it to buy all 782 as independent pharmacies. It was also willing to align itself with another bidder and purchase a smaller number of branches, he said.

"If we could return 50 to 100 [branches] to independent community pharmacy, that would make a big difference," he told C+D.

The bid was the first of many ventures for Pastophor, which could become a "single voice" to communicate "professional and commercial opportunities" to the independent sector, he added.

Pastophor managing partner Jay Badenhorst, superintendent pharmacist at Whitworth Chemists, said that if the legal entity failed to bid successfully for all of the branches, it planned to share its "expertise and understanding of the market" with other buyers.

The Co-operative Group seemed "committed" to selling its pharmacies to a supermarket, private equity firm or large pharmacy chain, but Mr Badenhorst thought it would be willing to sell branches to the independent sector "at the right price".

"The Co-op [Pharmacy] should be part of the independent community pharmacy portfolio to ensure patients and their health interests remain in the centre of their business strategy and goals," he said.

Mr Badenhorst said Pastophor had stronger representation and therefore a "better opportunity" for success than the Co-operative Consortium, a group of business owners that also plans to bid for the Co-operative Pharmacy. Pharmacists have so far pledged £57 million towards the £60m target that the consortium says will allow it to enter into negotiations with the Co-operative Group.

Independent Pharmacy Federation chair Fin McCaul told C+D he would "love" to see Co-operative Pharmacy branches passed to the independent sector and would encourage contractors to support Pastophor's bid.

Pharmacists can pledge support to Pastophor by filling out a form at pastophor.co.uk.

	Are collaboratives like Pastophor a future model for successfully uniting and growing the independent sector?   We want to hear your views, but please express them in the spirit of a constructive, professional debate. For more information about what this means, please click here to see our community principles and information