Group buys Welsh pharmacies

THE Co-operative Group&#039s pharmacy presence in Wales has increased after the acquisition of 27 stores.
It has announced the purchase from Welsh pharmacy group Howard and Palmer. The branches are in the Swansea area including Llanelli, Neath and Port Talbot. The move follows the society&#039s purchase of 11 pharmacies from the same group last summer.
Staff from the newly-acquired pharmacies will transfer to the Co-operative Group, and the branches will be rebranded to the Co-operative Group Pharmacy trading format in the next few months.
John Makepeace, Co-operative Group Pharmacy&#039s general manager, said: "This is an important acquisition of a significant number of branches and is indicative of our ambitious development and expansion programme.
"We will build on the excellent services these pharmacies already provide for their local communities, and they will complement our existing network of South Wales branches."
Last year the Co-operative Group Pharmacy acquired 23 pharmacies. The society now has 351 branches throughout the United Kingdom.