Key facts: Norwich
- NHS pharmacies in Norfolk and Waveney (2024/25)
- 187
- Opened / closed in the year
- 14 / 18
- Run by independents
- 49.7% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 102,051 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 484 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Norfolk and Waveney figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
Norwich pharmacies: who owns them
187 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions across NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, the ICB that covers Norwich, in 2024/25. 93 were run by independent contractors with five or fewer pharmacies and 94 by multiples: 49.7% independent against 49.9% nationally, 10th highest of 37 ICBs outside London.
The balance between independents and multiples is close to the national picture.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Norfolk and Waveney
Closure rate is a useful test of local pressure: in Norfolk and Waveney it was 9.6% in 2024/25 (18 pharmacies), against 6.4% for England, putting the ICB 4th of 37. 14 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.
For comparison, Ipswich (Suffolk and North East Essex) averaged 118,778 items per pharmacy with 45.0% independent, Cambridge (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) averaged 114,640 items per pharmacy with 52.4% independent and Lincoln (Lincolnshire) averaged 139,249 items per pharmacy with 24.4% independent.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Norfolk and Waveney pharmacies dispensed 19,083,454 items in 2024/25, 102,051 per pharmacy against 104,192 for England (19th busiest of 37 ICBs). 97.0% of items went through the Electronic Prescription Service. With volumes near the England norm, the individual pharmacy's direction of travel matters more than the area figure.
Hypertension case-finding ran in 159 Norfolk and Waveney pharmacies (85.0%, England 86.4%); the area also delivered 90,455 New Medicine Service consultations and 76,875 NHS flu vaccinations in 2024/25. A strong services record gives a lender more than one income stream to rely on.
Financing a Norwich pharmacy purchase
Buying in Norwich? 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. If the building is rented, lenders read the lease closely: a short unexpired term caps the loan term.
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 Norwich pharmacies
Lenders for pharmacies are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for Norwich, 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 Norwich pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 14 opened and 18 closed across Norfolk and Waveney, leaving 187 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Norfolk and Waveney?
They averaged 102,051 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
Do Norwich pharmacies offer NHS flu vaccinations?
150 of the 187 pharmacies in Norfolk and Waveney gave NHS flu vaccinations in 2024/25, 76,875 in total.
