The group of 21 community pharmacies in the East Midlands and Derbyshire formed by the combining of Mr Pickford’s, McGills Pharmacy and D&R Sharp in July 2021 have a new name and a new look. The pharmacies in the group will be rebranded as Pickfords Pharmacy over the coming months, with launch events planned by local teams.

Speaking following the unveiling of the first branch to receive new signage in Hexthorpe, Doncaster (above), Pickfords Pharmacy chief operating officer Mimi Lau said: “This is a turning point for the group, with all our pharmacies operating under one name with a consistent, contemporary brand.

"Initial reaction has been fantastic and very soon the name Pickfords Pharmacy will be widely recognised for the great service we deliver to customers and patients every day.”

Group chief executive Nick Yarrow, who joined in January 2022, says: “Since the enlarged group came together last year we have been striving to ensure that the best elements of each business have been retained for the benefit of our customers and team members. We want to be a trusted source of healthcare services at the heart of each one of the communities we serve”.

Pickfords Pharmacy has operated a hub and spoke model in its Leicestershire and Northamptonshire branches for more than three years and is currently in the process of creating a new hub for its South Yorkshire branches in Doncaster. Over the last 18 months the group has delivered more than 160,000 Covid vaccinations and last winter provided flu jabs to nearly 17,000 people.

The merger of the three businesses last year coincided with a ‘buy and build’ management buy-out at Leicester-based Mr Pickfords which included an £8m investment from private client company Connection Capital.