Group of eight community pharmacies sold to Cohens Chemist

A group of eight North West based pharmacies have been sold to Cohens Chemists.

Specialist business property adviser, Christie and Co, has announced the sale of  Whittle Pharmacies for an undisclosed sum.

Whittle Pharmacies was established 27 years ago and is a group of eight well-regarded community pharmacies. 

It includes Hootons Pharmacy and Ladybridge Pharmacy in Bolton, Pomfret Pharmacy (Victoria Road), Smithsons Pharmacy, Ribbleton Pharmacy and Whittlebrook Pharmacy (Clayton) in Preston, Smiths Pharmacy in Lytham, and Whittlebrook Pharmacy (Whittle) in Chorley. Together, they dispense over 65,000 items per month.

The group has been family-owned and operated by brother and sister duo, Umesh and Vil Patel, for 27 years and was brought to market to allow them to retire.

Following a confidential sales process with Jon Booth and Tom Young at Christie and Co, Whittle Pharmacies has been purchased by Cohens Chemist, a large independent pharmacy group with over 200 branches in the UK. The pharmacies will all be refurbished and rebranded.

Umesh and Vil Patel, the former owners of Whittle Pharmacies, said: “When we started the pharmacy business 27 years ago, our intentions were to run a great pharmacy business and to look after our patients as we would want our parents to be looked after.

"We wanted to enjoy the journey and to try to aim for an earlier retirement.

"We were blessed in having the most amazing work colleagues and patients, and many of our colleagues are still with us from the beginning, with others joining the family along the way.

"We retire, leaving a part of ourselves and a solid pharmacy business. We shed some tears saying goodbye to our colleagues, but we will keep the greatest memories and friendships.

"The new owners are very similar to us, and we know that they share the same vision for pharmacy. We made our parents proud.”

Colin Caunce, director, estates and business development for Cohens Chemist, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Whittle Pharmacies group into the Cohen’s Chemists family and look forward to continuing the excellent community care built over the past 27 years.

"These are well-established local pharmacies, and our priority is to ensure patients continue to receive the same trusted service. We wish Umesh and Vil a very happy and well-deserved retirement.”

Jon Booth, director of pharmacy at Christie and Co, said: “This has been a fantastic project to work on alongside the Whittle Directors.

"Since we first met with them in the Summer of 2024 to discuss an exit strategy, right through to completion of this sale to Cohens Chemist, they have approached the process with pragmatism and a sense of fun, even when there were setbacks along the way.

"The marketing of the eight pharmacies drew a lot of interest, and we had in excess of 30 parties offering for individual sites through to smaller sub-groups, which demonstrates that the north west market remains robust and is highly competitive for buyers, whether they are first-time buyers or established operators.

"We are looking forward to seeing how the Patel family’s 27-year legacy within these pharmacies moves forward under the Cohens Chemist’s ownership, and wish the Directors of Whittle and their fellow shareholders the very best in retirement.”