Key facts: Sheffield
- NHS pharmacies in South Yorkshire (2024/25)
- 321
- Opened / closed in the year
- 16 / 19
- Run by independents
- 36.4% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 113,972 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 553 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS South Yorkshire ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, South Yorkshire figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
The pharmacy market around Sheffield
321 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions across NHS South Yorkshire ICB, the ICB that covers Sheffield, in 2024/25. 117 were run by independent contractors with five or fewer pharmacies and 204 by multiples: 36.4% independent against 49.9% nationally, 33rd highest of 37 ICBs outside London.
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.
Pharmacy openings and closures, South Yorkshire
Closure rate is a useful test of local pressure: in South Yorkshire it was 5.9% in 2024/25 (19 pharmacies), against 6.4% for England, putting the ICB 20th of 37. 16 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.
Around Sheffield, New Medicine Service activity per pharmacy was 518 in Derby (Derby and Derbyshire), 523 in Nottingham (Nottingham and Nottinghamshire) and 579 in Leeds (West Yorkshire), against 553 here.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Across the year, 36,584,888 NHS items were dispensed here: 113,972 for the average pharmacy, where England's average is 104,192; only 6 of 37 ICBs were busier. Electronic prescriptions made up 96.9%. Higher volumes per pharmacy support stronger dispensing income, which is what lenders value most in a pharmacy purchase.
Hypertension case-finding ran in 293 South Yorkshire pharmacies (91.3%, England 86.4%); the area also delivered 177,630 New Medicine Service consultations and 97,985 NHS flu vaccinations in 2024/25. A strong services record gives a lender more than one income stream to rely on.
Financing a Sheffield pharmacy purchase
A lender looking at a Sheffield pharmacy will compare its items and services with the South 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
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. For leased premises, expect a lender to ask for the lease and to match the loan term to it.
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 Sheffield pharmacies
Lenders for pharmacies are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for Sheffield, 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 Sheffield pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 16 opened and 19 closed across South Yorkshire, leaving 321 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in South Yorkshire?
They averaged 113,972 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
Do you lend to Sheffield 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.
