Launched earlier this week (June 30), the service is initially available from 16 Lloydspharmacy branches and will later be expanded to a further 24 stores across the UK.

Customers can buy around 50 Lloydspharmacy products via the Deliveroo app and the companies said the “partnership is especially important for those who are isolating at home due to COVID-19 and the elderly”.

Delivery in under 30 minutes

Lloydspharmacy customers were already able to receive orders within 24 hours through the multiple’s online next day click and collect and next day delivery services.

But the new partnership with Deliveroo means those in urgent need of medication or who are self-isolating can receive their orders “in as little as under 30 minutes”, the companies said.

However, a delivery fee and a small order fee are applied on orders under £10, to reflect the quick delivery turnaround and the operational costs associated with this type of partnership.

When C+D put a Sudafed Blocked Nose Spray 15ml priced at £5.05 in the online basket, a delivery fee of £4.49 and a small order fee of £4.95 were, for example, added to the order. With a £0.49 service fee, this brought the total to £14.98. While there are small variations in the size of both fees, charges in this region apply across the board on orders under £10.

Customers will be able to order products including hayfever remedies, painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol and personal protective equipment – including face masks, hand sanitisers and gloves.

Deliveroo partnership “marks a step change”

Commenting on the new partnership, Lloydspharmacy CEO Toby Anderson said that the multiple has recently “taken a number of steps to review and alter our in-store and online operations to ensure that customers can continue to access essential medicines and healthcare products safely and conveniently”.

“This partnership with Deliveroo marks a step change in the evolution of pharmacy,” Mr Anderson added.

The service is currently live in cities including Southampton, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Bristol, Newcastle, Cambridge and Coventry.

Lloydspharmacy’s parent company McKesson said in May that retail traffic in Europe had been impacted by COVID-19 social distancing policies and that its “ retail pharmacy operations are navigating how to adapt to changing consumer needs”.