Chemix Group buys Middleton Pharmacy in Darlington

The group, which also operates a pharmacy in Halifax, aims to expand the business and enhance healthcare services in the village 

Chemix Group, an independent contractor, has acquired a high-dispensing Darlington pharmacy, previously owned by Middleton Healthcare Limited for 22 years.

The pharmacy, located in the village of Middleton St George near a GP surgery, dispenses an average of 10,874 items per month, according to Christie and Co, which brokered the deal.

Middleton Healthcare Limited, a consortium of three GPs, decided to sell the pharmacy as part of their retirement plans, the broker said.

Chemix Group, which also owns a pharmacy in Halifax, secured the acquisition through a confidential sales process with Christie and Co.

Prashanth Takkallapally and Harendra Patel, directors at Chemix Group, shared that, being local to the area, they knew this was the right pharmacy to add to their expanding group.

“We look forward to growing the business and implementing our plans to improve healthcare in the village,” they said.

Patrick Holmes, the former owner of Middleton Pharmacy, expressed satisfaction with the sale, saying, “We are very happy with the outcome of handing over the business to new owners and keeping the business local.

“We are confident they will provide excellent care and service to the local community going forward.”

Karl Clezy, director – pharmacy at Christie and Co, revealed that the high level of interest in the pharmacy, with three offers received within the first two weeks on the market.

“The buyers could see that the pharmacy had a lot of potential to improve its trading performance,” he said.

Image credit: Christie and Co

The broker has also announced the sale of Skelton Pharmacy in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, which has been acquired by a local first-time buyer, who will run the business as the owner-Pharmacist.

Located in the town centre of Skelton-in-Cleveland, it is a well-performing community pharmacy that dispenses an average of circa 8,500 NHS items per month.

Previously owned for 11 years by group operator Zulfiqar Rafiq, the pharmacy was mainly run by locum pharmacists.

Rafiq decided to sell the business to focus on his three other pharmacies in Middlesbrough, according to Christie and Co.

Expressing his best wishes to the new owner, Rafiq stated: “He is buying a thriving and growing business with excellent staff and loyal patient base.”

Karl noted that pharmacy mainly attracted interest from first-time buyers due to the affordable price level.

“We placed the pharmacy on the market in the middle of February this year and we successfully agreed a deal after the first week in March,” he added.