Key facts: Bournemouth
- NHS pharmacies in Dorset (2024/25)
- 146
- Opened / closed in the year
- 10 / 12
- Run by independents
- 40.4% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 97,345 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 453 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Dorset ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Dorset figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
The pharmacy market around Bournemouth
146 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions across NHS Dorset ICB, the ICB that covers Bournemouth, in 2024/25. 59 were run by independent contractors with five or fewer pharmacies and 87 by multiples: 40.4% independent against 49.9% nationally, 28th highest of 37 ICBs outside London.
With multiples holding more of the market than nationally, an independent pharmacy that comes up for sale here can draw competing buyers. Having finance lined up before you offer helps.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Dorset
10 pharmacies opened and 12 closed during 2024/25, a net loss of 2. Closures were 8.2% of the Dorset total (England 6.4%), 8th highest of 37.
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, Southampton (Hampshire and Isle of Wight) saw 12 openings and 14 closures among 296 pharmacies and Swindon (Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire) saw 8 openings and 12 closures among 149 pharmacies.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Dispensing volume is the core of pharmacy income. In 2024/25 the typical Dorset pharmacy handled 97,345 items (England 104,192), 14,212,344 across the area, ranking 30th of 37, with 98.5% sent electronically. 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: 66,102 New Medicine Service consultations (453 per pharmacy, England 508), 67,892 NHS flu vaccinations from 121 pharmacies, and 86.3% 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 Bournemouth pharmacy purchase
Buying in Bournemouth? 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. Where the premises are leased, the remaining term and any break clause limit how long a loan can run.
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 Bournemouth pharmacies
Lenders for pharmacies are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for Bournemouth, 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 Bournemouth pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 10 opened and 12 closed across Dorset, leaving 146 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Dorset?
They averaged 97,345 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
Do you lend to Bournemouth pharmacists?
No, we are a broker. We search the whole market for lenders that fund pharmacies and put your case to them. Fees depend on the lender, with nothing to pay upfront.
