63 new jobs created as Pharmacy2U unveils £3.5m medication hub in Leeds

Leeds-based Pharmacy2U has unveiled a £3.5m state-of-the-art facility to help drive its growth plans and open up its services to thousands more patients across the UK.

The 30,000 sq ft prescription fulfilment facility in the Whinmoor area of Leeds – the first of its kind in the UK – can dispatch one million prescription items a month, more than 10 times the capacity of the company’s previous system.

It uses a patent-pending combination of the latest robotic and logistics technologies - alongside input from pharmacy personnel - to ensure an efficient and clinically safe process.

The new facility is set to play a major role in the company’s future growth plans, as it seeks to increase the number of customers using its convenient NHS home delivery medication service - as well as those using its online doctor, private prescription and over the counter medicine services.

The majority of the investment in the facility came from Pharmacy2U, supported by a £450k local enterprise grant from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership business growth programme, together with funding from Barclays.

63 new jobs have been created at the company since work began on the project.

Daniel Lee, managing director of Pharmacy2U - the largest NHS contracted pharmacy - said: “This is the latest in a long and proud history of innovation from Pharmacy2U.

“Since 1999, we have shown that there are new ways to provide pharmacy services – using the internet and home delivery to give patients more convenience and choice.

“Our investment supports the NHS’ aim of increasing access for patients to new types of pharmacy service. GP practices across the country are currently introducing electronic prescriptions – and this, coupled with our new dispensing hub, is making our well-established NHS repeat prescription service available to more patients across the country.

“The new facility is good news for the local economy too. We are now ready to scale up our business to the next level - with plans to significantly grow our customer base and market share.”

Sam Drummond, Barclays relationship director who arranged the funding for the deal, added: “It’s great to see this forward thinking, ambitious business innovating and investing for the future. The new site and technology will have a huge impact on the capacity of the business going forward - creating jobs and supporting the local economy in Yorkshire.”

The new facility was designed by Pharmacy2U with support from warehouse management software and logistics supplier Logistex.

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