Sainsbury's has become the first retailer to combine a pharmacy with a convenience store in a hospital, it claims.

The shop, which opened in Guy's Hospital in London on Wednesday (September 10), stocks a "broad range of convenience goods for patients and visitors", a spokesperson said. However, it would not sell alcohol or cigarettes, he told C+D.

Although Sainsbury's had operated a pharmacy at Guy's Hospital since 2012, this was the first time any retailer had combined its pharmacy with a convenience store in a hospital setting, the spokesperson said. The store was as a "fantastic opportunity" to serve patients and families as well as "passing trade" from the nearby street, they added.

Sainsbury's head of pharmacy and healthcare Jat Sahota said the combined store was a "great example" of the supermarket's drive to "always look for new ways to serve our customers better".

Sainsbury's was keen to roll out the format in other NHS trusts, he said. 

The shop will be open between 7am and 11pm, seven days a week and will employ 25 local people.

Last year, Sainsbury's marked pharmacy as an area for growth after announcing an increase in overall operating profits of 5.1 per cent on the previous financial year.

	Should more hospitals offer patients combined pharmacies and convenience stores?