Pharmacy numbers will continue to grow over the coming months and years, experts have warned, despite 100-hour pharmacies no longer representing a guaranteed entry into the market.

Brokerage and advisory group Christie + Co told C+D that it expected to see further growth in the market over the next year as 100-hour pharmacies that had already been granted their contracts opened.

"Many independents have existed under a cloud for the last few years, not knowing if their business will be decimated by a new 100-hour contract" Anne Hutchings, Hutchings Consultants

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And government figures, released as the 100-hour pharmacy exemption was removed last week, forecast that pharmacy numbers would rise by 293 over the next 10 years. However, the government said that this growth would be much slower than it would have been without removal of the exemption, preventing a potential 1,242 additional pharmacies from opening over the 10-year period. The first quarter of this year alone saw nearly 100 more pharmacies join the register, taking the total figure to 13,910, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) recorded. And Christie + Co said it expected the high growth rate to continue over the next year.

"As would be expected, the acceleration in openings is largely attributed to new 100-hour pharmacies," said Christie + Co head of medical advisory Matthew Williamson. "While the new market entry provisions remove the possibility of further applications, there are a substantial number of approved 100-hour contracts that are yet to open and it could be a further 12 months before the effect of [removing the] exemption fully washes through."   But Hutchings Consultants managing director Anne Hutchings said many of these new pharmacies could be forced to close. "I think some 100-hour pharmacies will be closing because I am aware that some of these are making losses and are not sustainable," she told C+D.   Ms Hutchings added that the removal of the 100-hour exemption would bring more stability to the pharmacy market. "Many independents have existed under a cloud for the past few years, not knowing if their business will be decimated by a new 100-hour contract opening up next door or nearby," she said. "The new regulations should give contractors the confidence to invest in their pharmacies."