Pharmacy market insight 2025: North of England
In this blog post, Jon Booth (Director – Pharmacy, Christie & Co) provides an overview of current market activity, buyer trends, and emerging opportunities in the pharmacy sector across the North of England.
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WHAT IS ON THE MARKET IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND?
The majority of stock coming to market in H2 2025 has comprised individual branches sold by independent multiple operators with 10 or more sites. These pharmacies tend to be of higher quality and show stronger average item volumes compared with those seen throughout 2024 and H1 2025.
We’re also seeing an increase in genuine retirement sales from single-site owners. Notably, some of these are high-volume pharmacies dispensing between 10,000 and 15,000 items per month - something that was challenging to sell just 12 months ago.
Further corporate divestment is underway with the likes of Well Pharmacy, and more large groups are likely to follow in the coming months.
Buyer sentiment is cautiously optimistic, with renewed interest from purchasers seeking small groups of two to five sites.
There’s a healthy spread of new instructions across West Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Merseyside. However, supply remains more limited in South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
WHO IS BUYING, AND WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
Appetite remains strong across the region, with assets priced under £1 million attracting highly competitive, multiple bids.
Even in areas that have historically been more challenging - such as Wirral, the Fylde Coast, and the East Coast of Yorkshire - buyer interest is improving. While the buyer pool in these locations is still smaller than in major urban centres like Sheffield, Leeds, and Manchester, demand is increasing.
Most opportunities are generating interest, particularly from buyers seeking growth potential and physical space to expand NHS and private services. Single-site assets of various shapes, sizes, and locations continue to be popular in the sub-£500,000 market, which is largely driven by first-time buyers. Many of the current deals involve existing owners of two to five sites who are either expanding their portfolios or partnering with first-time buyers through joint ventures.
If you’d like to know more about the pharmacy market in the North of England, or for a confidential chat about your business, contact Jon Booth: jon.booth@christie.com / +44 7703 607 122