Lloyds Pharmacy to close East Sussex in-store branches in Sainsbury's - here's where

The company has a total of 237 such branches in the UK, as reported by Sky News, with its East Sussex in-store branches in Sainsbury’s in St Leonards, Brighton, and Newhaven.

Lloyds Pharmacy said it plans to close the branches before the end of this year, as reported in the national media.

The move by the company potentially puts more than 2,000 jobs at risk across the UK, it has been reported.

Kevin Birch, chief executive 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.”

A company spokesperson said: “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. 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 Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) Union, which represents pharmacists, has criticised the move.

Mark Pitt, assistant general secretary of the PDA Union, said: “We have seen many disposals of Lloyds Pharmacy branches over recent months and we know more may occur, however for every disposal there has been a buyer, therefore patients and communities have seen no reduction in availability, the pharmacy network has not lost capacity and there were no job losses.

“This situation is different and means significant reductions in access to a pharmacy for patients and we expect those who represent communities to be concerned about the loss of a key part of their local NHS service.

“Forward-thinking governments around the UK are seeking to make greater use of pharmacies as the most accessible contact point in the NHS, to reduce pressure on other parts of the healthcare system, so there should be greater community pharmacy capacity, not less.”