Key facts: Cambridge
- NHS pharmacies in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (2024/25)
- 147
- Opened / closed in the year
- 5 / 7
- Run by independents
- 52.4% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 114,640 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 570 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
The pharmacy market around Cambridge
Who owns the pharmacies matters to anyone buying one. In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in 2024/25, 77 of 147 NHS community pharmacies (52.4%) belonged to independents with five or fewer branches and 70 to multiples. England's independent share is 49.9%; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ranks 7th of 37. The ICB also covers Peterborough.
The balance between independents and multiples is close to the national picture.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
The year brought 7 closures and 5 openings, leaving 2 fewer pharmacies. As a share of the network, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough lost 4.8% to closure, set against 6.4% nationally (rank 29 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, Ipswich (Suffolk and North East Essex) saw 6 openings and 9 closures among 171 pharmacies, Norwich (Norfolk and Waveney) saw 14 openings and 18 closures among 187 pharmacies and Chelmsford (Mid and South Essex) saw 10 openings and 11 closures among 210 pharmacies.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Dispensing volume is the core of pharmacy income. In 2024/25 the typical Cambridgeshire and Peterborough pharmacy handled 114,640 items (England 104,192), 16,852,056 across the area, ranking 6th of 37, with 97.2% sent electronically. Higher volumes per pharmacy support stronger dispensing income, which is what lenders value most in a pharmacy purchase.
On services, pharmacies here gave 69,699 NHS flu jabs (545 per participating pharmacy, England 437) and 83,768 New Medicine Service consultations, while 88.4% offered hypertension case-finding against 86.4% nationally. A strong services record gives a lender more than one income stream to rely on.
Financing a Cambridge pharmacy purchase
Pharmacy prices are mostly goodwill, so lenders read several years of dispensing, NHS income and services against figures like these, alongside the lease and your contribution. Stock has to be funded at completion and NHS reimbursement arrives in arrears, so plan working capital with the loan. See our guide to buying a pharmacy. The practice purchase loan calculator shows repayments against profit.
Premises, regulation and security
Buying a pharmacy freehold in England brings Stamp Duty Land Tax at non-residential rates, and a lender secures the loan with a legal charge registered at 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 Cambridge pharmacies
There is no Cambridge lender panel. Lenders that understand pharmacies work across the country, so we search the whole market for each case. Fees depend on the lender and nothing is charged upfront.
Common questions
Are Cambridge pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 5 opened and 7 closed across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, leaving 147 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough?
They averaged 114,640 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
How independent is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough pharmacy market?
52.4% of pharmacies belonged to contractors with five or fewer pharmacies in 2024/25, against 49.9% across England.
