A well-used pharmacy based in a supermarket will be closing its doors amid “changing market conditions.”

Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s, Bicester, will be withdrawn from the supermarket after the chemist undertook a strategic review of its operations.

The company agreed all of its pharmacy services will be pulled from Sainsbury’s stores over the course of 2023.

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Commenting on the announcement, chief executive officer of Lloyds Pharmacy, Kevin Birch, 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.”

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

Lloyds Pharmacy is currently exploring options for each individual branch which means that timeline and final plans will vary on a branch-by-branch basis.

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It is working with all colleagues potentially affected by the changes and has underlined its commitment to support them through the process.

Lloyds Pharmacy is also committed to helping patients easily find a suitable alternative provision.

The company has around 17,000 staff and dispenses over 150 million prescription items annually.

It is owned by the Aurelius Group.

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1