Key facts: Chelmsford
- Community pharmacies, Mid and South Essex, 2024/25
- 210
- Openings / closures, 2024/25
- 10 / 11
- Independent share (5 or fewer pharmacies)
- 49.5% (England 49.9%)
- Average items per pharmacy
- 100,629 (England 104,192)
- New Medicine Service consultations per pharmacy
- 508 (England 508)
- Commissioning ICB
- NHS Mid and South Essex ICB
2024/25 figures from NHS Business Services Authority pharmacy statistics for the ICB that covers Chelmsford; ranks are among the 37 ICBs outside London.
Community pharmacy in Mid and South Essex
Who owns the pharmacies matters to anyone buying one. In Mid and South Essex in 2024/25, 104 of 210 NHS community pharmacies (49.5%) belonged to independents with five or fewer branches and 106 to multiples. England's independent share is 49.9%; Mid and South Essex ranks 12th of 37.
Ownership here splits much as it does across England, so neither independents nor multiples dominate the sales market.
Openings and closures in 2024/25
The year brought 11 closures and 10 openings, leaving 1 fewer pharmacies. As a share of the network, Mid and South Essex lost 5.2% to closure, set against 6.4% nationally (rank 25 of 37).
Closures redistribute prescriptions to surviving pharmacies. For a buyer this can mean rising items, though a lender will lend against the history already in the figures.
Next door, Ipswich (Suffolk and North East Essex) saw 6 openings and 9 closures among 171 pharmacies, Maidstone (Kent and Medway) saw 15 openings and 21 closures among 323 pharmacies and Cambridge (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) saw 5 openings and 7 closures among 147 pharmacies.
How busy Chelmsford pharmacies are
Dispensing volume is the core of pharmacy income. In 2024/25 the typical Mid and South Essex pharmacy handled 100,629 items (England 104,192), 21,132,073 across the area, ranking 21st of 37, with 97.5% sent electronically. Volumes close to the national average put the focus on the individual pharmacy's trend.
On services, pharmacies here gave 93,433 NHS flu jabs (525 per participating pharmacy, England 437) and 106,751 New Medicine Service consultations, while 84.3% offered hypertension case-finding against 86.4% nationally. Lenders count services income alongside dispensing, so a good record here strengthens the case.
Buying a pharmacy in Chelmsford
A lender looking at a Chelmsford pharmacy will compare its items and services with the Mid and South Essex picture, then read the lease and your track record. Remember stock at completion and NHS payments in arrears: working capital often sits beside the acquisition loan. Our guide to buying a pharmacy covers the steps. 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. If the building is rented, lenders read the lease closely: a short unexpired term caps the loan term.
Before completion a lender will want the change of ownership application to Mid and South Essex under way and the premises registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council in the buyer's name.
Lenders for Chelmsford pharmacies
Which lender suits a Chelmsford case depends on the pharmacy and the deal, not the postcode. We search the whole market each time. Fees depend on the lender, and nothing is due upfront.
Common questions
How many pharmacies are there around Chelmsford?
210 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions in NHS Mid and South Essex ICB during 2024/25 (NHS Business Services Authority). 10 opened and 11 closed in the year.
How many items does a Chelmsford pharmacy dispense?
The Mid and South Essex average for 2024/25 was 100,629 items per pharmacy; England's was 104,192.
Do you lend to Chelmsford 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.
