An Airdrie pharmacy is now under new ownership after being purchased by a growing independent group.
McNish Pharmacy in Caldercruix has been purchased by Eastwood Pharmacy, becoming the Glasgow-based company’s seventh site across Scotland.
The eight existing staff members are all being retained and will be offered further industry training to allow more staff to complete vital checks on prescriptions, to help customers and reduce waiting times.
Located at Dunbreck Avenue, the chemist is described as having “been part of the community for 12 years”.
Eastwood Pharmacy completed its purchase thanks to funding of £5.7 million from HSBC, with the package also helping to pay for training “to enable registered technicians to undertake final accuracy checks on dispensed prescriptions, which will improve the efficiency of service [and] mean that more colleagues will be able to assist customers”.
Co-owner Rickey Pooran said: “A lot of the burden of checking off prescriptions sits on the pharmacists’ shoulders, which can add strain to their workload, with other colleagues unable to help.
“We hope that locals will benefit from an enhanced service as we upskill staff to enable them to clinically assess and dispense prescriptions.”
He added: “HSBC UK has continually backed our growth plans; the 48-hour credit check they offered us meant that we could confidently compete against larger pharmacy companies and go in with a strong offer to acquire McNish Pharmacy.”
Kevin Mckenna, relationship director at HSBC UK, added: “We are pleased to support such an ambitious business – Eastwood Pharmacy has shown that it is keen to carry on growing for years to come.”
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