Sainsbury's Christchurch to lose its Lloyds Pharmacy

CHRISTCHURCH'S Sainsbury's is set to lose its pharmacy in the spring.

It is one of 237 branches of the supermarket nationwide to have their Lloyds Pharmacy withdrawn this year thanks to "changing market conditions".

Closures dates will vary store by store, but the A&T understands the Christchurch branch will shut on 13th March and "a range of options" is being considered to best use the space.

The number of jobs affected has not been confirmed.

Kevin Birch, chief executive officer of Lloyds Pharmacy, said: “This decision has not been an easy one and we understand that our patients and customers may have questions about how the change will affect them.

"We would like to thank them for their continued support and assure them that we are committed to providing a smooth transition over the coming months.

“I am very grateful to all our colleagues for their dedication to our patients, customers and communities.”

Sainsbury's sold its pharmacies to Lloyds Pharmacy owner Celesio for £125m in 2015. Celesio's parent company McKesson was bought by Aurelius Group in April last year for £477m.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: "Lloyds Pharmacy is withdrawing pharmacy services from our stores over the coming months.

"We will work with them to ensure customers are clear on how they can access an alternative pharmacy provision to meet their needs.”