Key facts: Nottingham
- Community pharmacies, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, 2024/25
- 235
- Openings / closures, 2024/25
- 14 / 21
- Independent share (5 or fewer pharmacies)
- 43.8% (England 49.9%)
- Average items per pharmacy
- 103,452 (England 104,192)
- New Medicine Service consultations per pharmacy
- 523 (England 508)
- Commissioning ICB
- NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
2024/25 figures from NHS Business Services Authority pharmacy statistics for the ICB that covers Nottingham; ranks are among the 37 ICBs outside London.
Nottingham pharmacies: who owns them
Across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, which takes in Nottingham, there were 235 NHS community pharmacies in 2024/25. Independents (five or fewer pharmacies) held 103 of them, 43.8%, and multiples 132; the England share of independents is 49.9%, and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ranks 21st of 37 on it.
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.
Openings and closures in 2024/25
The year brought 21 closures and 14 openings, leaving 7 fewer pharmacies. As a share of the network, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire lost 8.9% to closure, set against 6.4% nationally (rank 5 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, Derby (Derby and Derbyshire) saw 12 openings and 13 closures among 209 pharmacies, Leicester (Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland) saw 11 openings and 12 closures among 232 pharmacies and Lincoln (Lincolnshire) saw 7 openings and 4 closures among 119 pharmacies.
How busy Nottingham pharmacies are
Across the year, 24,311,310 NHS items were dispensed here: 103,452 for the average pharmacy, where England's average is 104,192; only 16 of 37 ICBs were busier. Electronic prescriptions made up 97.3%. Volumes close to the national average put the focus on the individual pharmacy's trend.
Services add income beyond dispensing: 122,995 New Medicine Service consultations (523 per pharmacy, England 508), 83,106 NHS flu vaccinations from 191 pharmacies, and 86.8% 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 Nottingham
A lender looking at a Nottingham pharmacy will compare its items and services with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire 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
In England, a pharmacy freehold bought outright attracts Stamp Duty Land Tax on the non-residential scale, and the lender's security is a legal charge at 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 Nottingham and Nottinghamshire under way and the premises registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council in the buyer's name.
Lenders for Nottingham pharmacies
We hold no lender lists by town, and lenders for pharmacies lend nationally rather than city by city. For a Nottingham case we search the whole market. Fees depend on the lender, with nothing upfront.
Common questions
How many pharmacies are there around Nottingham?
235 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions in NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB during 2024/25 (NHS Business Services Authority). 14 opened and 21 closed in the year.
How many items does a Nottingham pharmacy dispense?
The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire average for 2024/25 was 103,452 items per pharmacy; England's was 104,192.
Do you lend to Nottingham 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.
