Key summary
- Located on the high street in the Lincolnshire village, Kingston Pharmacy dispenses an average of 5,128 items per month.
- The new owner, Joy Ekpeh, is a pharmacist and got her funding sourced through Christie Finance.
- She aims to offer additional services and improve patient experience.
Messingham-based Kingston Pharmacy has been sold to a woman pharmacist and a first-time buyer for an undisclosed sum, Christie & Co reports.
The standard hours community pharmacy was established in 2000 by John Crump and Paul Watson and they decided to sell it to pursue their retirement.
Located on the high street in the Lincolnshire village, Kingston Pharmacy dispenses an average of 5,128 items per month.
The new owner, Joy Ekpeh, got her funding sourced through Christie Finance.
John Crump said, “The business has grown steadily over the past 26 years. We both made the difficult decision to sell to pursue retirement and would like to wish Joy the best of luck in her new ownership.”
Ekpeh said it was her goal to become a pharmacy owner and is happy to take over Kingston Pharmacy.
"What attracted me to the pharmacy was its location, trusted reputation within the local community and the strong foundations built by John and Paul over many years. Going forward, my focus is on sustainable growth, including offering additional services, improving patient experience and expanding on the strengthening of the pharmacy’s role as a key healthcare hub within the Messingham area,” she said.
Tom Young, Senior Business Agent – Pharmacy at Christie & Co, said, “When John and Paul first approached us, they had been advised by another agent that the pharmacy was worth almost half of the value we ultimately achieved. By leveraging our local knowledge and in-depth market insights, we generated five offers at or above the guide price through a highly competitive bidding process." After the agreement with Ekpeh, the sale was completed within four months.
Olivia Dixon, Finance Consultant at Christie Finance, said securing funding for Joy, especially as a first‑time buyer in pharmacy, "was no small feat, and it required some careful negotiation with the bank to make it happen."
"I’m excited to see everything Joy will go on to achieve, and I genuinely look forward to the opportunity to work together again in the future.”
