Key facts: Birmingham
- NHS pharmacies in Birmingham and Solihull (2024/25)
- 310
- Opened / closed in the year
- 7 / 9
- Run by independents
- 64.2% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 84,156 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 451 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Birmingham and Solihull figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
Birmingham pharmacies: who owns them
Across Birmingham and Solihull, which takes in Birmingham, there were 310 NHS community pharmacies in 2024/25. Independents (five or fewer pharmacies) held 199 of them, 64.2%, and multiples 111; the England share of independents is 49.9%, and Birmingham and Solihull ranks 2nd of 37 on it.
An independent-heavy market sees more owner-to-owner sales, which is where most pharmacy acquisition finance is arranged.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Birmingham and Solihull
Closure rate is a useful test of local pressure: in Birmingham and Solihull it was 2.9% in 2024/25 (9 pharmacies), against 6.4% for England, putting the ICB 37th of 37. 7 opened over the same period.
When a pharmacy closes, its prescriptions move to those that remain. That can lift volumes at a well-placed pharmacy, but lenders want to see the uplift in dispensing figures, not only in a forecast.
Next door, Wolverhampton (Black Country) saw 8 openings and 14 closures among 276 pharmacies, Coventry (Coventry and Warwickshire) saw 9 openings and 13 closures among 193 pharmacies and Worcester (Herefordshire and Worcestershire) saw 3 openings and 5 closures among 120 pharmacies.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Across the year, 26,088,238 NHS items were dispensed here: 84,156 for the average pharmacy, where England's average is 104,192; only 35 of 37 ICBs were busier. Electronic prescriptions made up 95.5%. Lower average volumes mean each pharmacy's own figures, and its services, carry more weight with a lender than the area average.
Services add income beyond dispensing: 139,899 New Medicine Service consultations (451 per pharmacy, England 508), 69,265 NHS flu vaccinations from 241 pharmacies, and 83.9% of pharmacies running hypertension case-finding (England 86.4%). A strong services record gives a lender more than one income stream to rely on.
Financing a Birmingham pharmacy purchase
Buying in Birmingham? Expect the lender to ask for three years of dispensing and services figures, the lease, and how much you are putting in. Fund stock and the gap before NHS payments with working capital, and read buying a pharmacy first. The practice purchase loan calculator shows repayments against profit.
Premises, regulation and security
A pharmacy freehold bought in England is subject to Stamp Duty Land Tax on non-residential rates. Any premises loan is secured by a legal charge registered with HM Land Registry. For leased premises, expect a lender to ask for the lease and to match the loan term to it.
The incoming owner applies for the NHS change of ownership and registers the premises with the General Pharmaceutical Council; lenders expect both in hand before completion.
Lenders for Birmingham pharmacies
Lenders for pharmacies are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for Birmingham, as anywhere, we search the whole market and approach the lenders whose criteria fit. Fees depend on the lender; nothing is payable upfront.
Common questions
Are Birmingham pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 7 opened and 9 closed across Birmingham and Solihull, leaving 310 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Birmingham and Solihull?
They averaged 84,156 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
How independent is the Birmingham and Solihull pharmacy market?
64.2% of pharmacies belonged to contractors with five or fewer pharmacies in 2024/25, against 49.9% across England.
