Key facts: Leeds
- Community pharmacies, West Yorkshire, 2024/25
- 548
- Openings / closures, 2024/25
- 29 / 46
- Independent share (5 or fewer pharmacies)
- 53.3% (England 49.9%)
- Average items per pharmacy
- 152,897 (England 104,192)
- New Medicine Service consultations per pharmacy
- 579 (England 508)
- Commissioning ICB
- NHS West Yorkshire ICB
2024/25 figures from NHS Business Services Authority pharmacy statistics for the ICB that covers Leeds; ranks are among the 37 ICBs outside London.
Leeds pharmacies: who owns them
Who owns the pharmacies matters to anyone buying one. In West Yorkshire in 2024/25, 292 of 548 NHS community pharmacies (53.3%) belonged to independents with five or fewer branches and 256 to multiples. England's independent share is 49.9%; West Yorkshire ranks 6th of 37. The ICB also covers Bradford.
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 46 closures and 29 openings, leaving 17 fewer pharmacies. As a share of the network, West Yorkshire lost 8.4% to closure, set against 6.4% nationally (rank 7 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.
For comparison, Sheffield (South Yorkshire) averaged 113,972 items per pharmacy with 36.4% independent, Manchester (Greater Manchester) averaged 100,220 items per pharmacy with 47.5% independent and Hull (Humber and North Yorkshire) averaged 112,180 items per pharmacy with 43.7% independent.
How busy Leeds pharmacies are
West Yorkshire pharmacies dispensed 83,787,620 items in 2024/25, 152,897 per pharmacy against 104,192 for England (the busiest of 37 ICBs). 98.7% of items went through the Electronic Prescription Service. Higher volumes per pharmacy support stronger dispensing income, which is what lenders value most in a pharmacy purchase.
Services add income beyond dispensing: 317,325 New Medicine Service consultations (579 per pharmacy, England 508), 177,142 NHS flu vaccinations from 414 pharmacies, and 82.8% of pharmacies running hypertension case-finding (England 86.4%). Lenders count services income alongside dispensing, so a good record here strengthens the case.
Buying a pharmacy in Leeds
A lender looking at a Leeds pharmacy will compare its items and services with the West Yorkshire 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
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.
Before completion a lender will want the change of ownership application to West Yorkshire under way and the premises registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council in the buyer's name.
Lenders for Leeds pharmacies
We hold no lender lists by town, and lenders for pharmacies lend nationally rather than city by city. For a Leeds case we search the whole market. Fees depend on the lender, with nothing upfront.
Common questions
How many pharmacies are there around Leeds?
548 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions in NHS West Yorkshire ICB during 2024/25 (NHS Business Services Authority). 29 opened and 46 closed in the year.
How many items does a Leeds pharmacy dispense?
The West Yorkshire average for 2024/25 was 152,897 items per pharmacy; England's was 104,192.
How independent is the West Yorkshire pharmacy market?
53.3% of pharmacies belonged to contractors with five or fewer pharmacies in 2024/25, against 49.9% across England.
