A Redditch-based independent pharmacy group has expanded its footprint across Wales after securing an eight-figure funding package from HSBC UK to support a major acquisition.
Knights Pharmacy, has used the facility to acquire 24 pharmacies across South Wales, growing its portfolio from 54 to 78 locations and extending its provision of NHS and private healthcare services, including prescriptions, vaccinations and Pharmacy First.
The acquisition has safeguarded all 240 jobs across the sites, spanning pharmacists, dispensing staff, management teams and delivery driver roles. It also means Knights Pharmacy is servicing an additional 200,000 patients, helping to prevent pharmacy closures and disruption to services while maintaining continuity of care.
The funding has also enabled Knights Pharmacy to refurbish its branches and enhance the services available to patients. The South Wales pharmacies now have access to Knights’ automated dispensing hub, which uses robotics and digital software to prepare medication in daily dosage trays. By streamlining the dispensing process, the hub improves efficiency and frees up pharmacists to spend more time providing face-to-face care to patients.
Alongside this, the funding has allowed the group to expand its access to independent prescribers across the region, with more than 26 now working across Knights’ Welsh branches. The specialists can prescribe and dispense medications on site, allowing more patients to receive treatment directly and reducing the need for GP appointments.
Together, these investments have helped Knights Pharmacy become the third-largest pharmacy group in Wales, growth that has already been recognised externally, with the business named in the Financial Times’ UK’s Fastest Growing Companies 2027 list.
Anand Sodha, Managing Director at Knights Pharmacy, said:
“This growth reflects the hard work of our team, achieved despite underfunding in community pharmacy – a problem we and trade bodies including CPW, CPE and the IPA continue to flag. We’ve worked hard to acquire, keep open, and invest into several pharmacies, many in the Welsh Valleys, that may otherwise have closed. We now dispense over 10 million items a year to more than 500,000 patients and remain proud to serve our communities. Thanks to HSBC UK for backing that growth, and to our whole team.”
Amit Kattri, Relationship Director at HSBC UK, added:
“Independent pharmacy groups are playing an increasingly vital role in the UK’s healthcare system, delivering essential services in their communities while helping to ease pressure on the NHS. Knights Pharmacy is a strong example of what ambitious businesses providing critical public services can achieve with the right support. Our role is to give businesses like this the confidence to invest in their people, enhance patient care and pursue their long-term growth ambitions.”
