Lloyds Pharmacy closes 190 stores, blaming government cuts

Reduced funding, higher business rates and the apprenticeship levy created ‘challenging market conditions’Lloyds Pharmacy has announced it will close nearly 200 stores across England because of changes in government policy, with its parent company also blaming funding cuts and the apprenticeship levy. In an internal letter to staff Cormac Tobin, the managing director of Lloyds Pharmacy’s owner, Celesio UK, said around 190 pharmacies would cease to trade through a combination of