Sheffield based Wicker Pharmacy celebrates its 70th anniversary

The Sheffield based pharmacy and National Pharmacy Association (NPA) member, Wicker Pharmacy, which has been open every day since its first opening in 1952, marked its 70^th anniversary this month.

The company was first formed by a small group of independent pharmacists in 1951, as Associated Chemists Ltd, to provide an extended hours pharmacy service to the people of Sheffield.

The pharmacy continues to be owned mostly by Sheffield pharmacists, but in 2012 ownership of part of the company was transferred to the staff via an employee ownership trust model.

Hence, more than 75 per cent of the business is owned by current or past employee, creating a deeper connection between the pharmacy, its staff, and the community it serves.

It had pioneered the idea of a pharmacy staying open until 10pm Monday to Saturday and until 8pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The services provided by the pharmacy expanded over the years and it won a number of awards in recognition for its work.

Associated Chemists chairman and Wicker Pharmacy director, Martin Bennett, joined the pharmacy in 1973, soon after becoming a pharmacist.

Speaking with InPharmacy, NPA’s in-house magazine, Bennett said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to have been open everyday for 70 years and thanks must go to all our staff and our shareholders, both present and past, for providing that service and for constantly striving to improve what we offer.

“Those involved back in 1952 would be truly amazed to see how pharmacy has developed from small scale manufacturing of mixtures, ointments and powders to current practice where computers and robots are the order of the day, while pharmacists and their teams develop more and more clinical skills. The fact that the Wicker Pharmacy has provided over 25,000 Covid vaccinations in the last eight months would have been mind-blowing to the original shareholders, along with the achievement of dispensing over 10 million prescriptions since the pharmacy opened.”