The total number of bricks-and-mortar community pharmacies in England has dropped below 10,000, according to the latest data from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).
As of the end of March 2025, there were 9,999 community pharmacies (excluding distance selling pharmacies) operating in England—down from 10,837 at the beginning of 2021. This marks a net loss of 838 pharmacies over four years.
Between January 2024 and March 2025 alone, England recorded 274 pharmacy closures, averaging more than five closures per week.
When including distance selling pharmacies, the total number of pharmacies in England now stands at 10,407, down from 11,206 in January 2021.
Shift in ownership patterns
The data also reveals a notable shift in ownership dynamics across the sector.
Small independent pharmacy owners—defined as those operating between one and five pharmacies—now hold the largest market share at over 49 per cent.
Their numbers have grown significantly from 4,024 in 2021 to 4,910 in March 2025, an increase of 886.
Medium-sized groups (owning 6 to 99 pharmacies) now account for over 18 per cent of the market, with 1,807 pharmacies recorded as of March 2025.
In contrast, large pharmacy chains (owning 100 or more pharmacies) have seen a steep decline. Their numbers have plummeted from 5,220 in 2021 to just 3,283—a reduction of 1,938.
They now represent only 32.8 per cent of the total market.
The number of distance selling pharmacies has also increased slightly, from 369 in 2021 to 408 in 2025.
Infographic by NHSBSA
Further closure risk remains
The newly agreed Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) for 2025/26 is being viewed as a positive first step toward stabilising the struggling community pharmacy sector, which has endured years of underfunding.
The government has pledged an annual funding commitment of £3.073 billion for the sector, along with an additional £215 million to support the Pharmacy First service and other initiatives under the Primary Care Recovery Plan.
The new contract also allocated £900 million for medicines margin, increased the Single Activity Fee to £1.46 per item, and granted a one-off write-off of £193 million in historic margin overspend.
Despite this funding boost, sector leaders remain concerned that it may not be able to prevent more closures and reductions in service delivery.
The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) highlighted a significant gap between the cost of delivering NHS community pharmacy services and what pharmacies will be paid.
“Unfortunately, this contractual agreement does not meet the costs of delivering NHS community pharmacy services, so there is still the risk of further closures and service reductions,” a CCA spokesperson told Pharmacy Business.
An independent economic review estimated the cost of delivering NHS pharmaceutical services across England in 2023/24 at between £4.3 billion and £5.7 billion.
These costs are projected to rise sharply to £8.106 billion by 2029/30.
With agreed funding for 2025/26 set at £3.073 billion, the sector faces a projected shortfall of £1.99 billion.
