Sixty one Jhoots Pharmacies taken over by Allied Pharmacies following mass closures

Allied Pharmacies has taken over the management of 61 Jhoots Pharmacies following reports of Jhoots branches closing, not paying their employees, and forcing patients to travel long distances for essential medication.

While the majority of these locations are temporarily closed, Allied Pharmacies has said it is ‘fully committed’ to reinstating essential pharmacy services.

Allied Pharmacies will also take steps to address outstanding salary arrears of employed staff as part of its efforts to support the workforce and rebuild trust.

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Locum Pharmacist contractors who have worked with any of these branches are being encouraged to contact Jhoots administrators.

‘We recognise the fundamental role that community pharmacies play in supporting public health and wellbeing and understand the disruption caused by these closures, particularly for vulnerable groups who depend on local access to vital healthcare services. Our immediate priority is to resume pharmaceutical services as soon as possible for these sites,’ Allied Pharmacies said in a statement.

The statement adds that this transition highlights broader issues facing the sector such as systematic underfunding over the past decade which has placed strain on many operators.

Allied Pharmacies also said: ‘Without meaningful intervention at a national level, the collapse of other significant providers – as seen previously with Lloyds, and now Jhoots – could continue to affect patient care and the viability of community pharmacies nationwide.

‘We would also like to express our appreciation for the dedicated former Jhoots employees who have been impacted during this difficult period. Their commitment has not gone unnoticed.’

He said both the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and integrated care boards (ICBs) were taking regulatory action against individual pharmacies and supporting patients with access to medicines.

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This issue has also highlighted a gap when it comes to regulating pharmacy business owners, Mr Kinnock said.

Government officials are exploring, as a matter of urgency, whether they can ‘strengthen the regulatory framework to be able to deal more quickly with pharmacies that do not play by the rules’.

The PDA has written to members of parliament to ensure that those who are owed unpaid locum fees are being ‘highlighted and included’ as the government considers what next steps to take.

There’s 151 Jhoots pharmacies of which 21 are under Manjit Jhooty's control. All the others are owned and operated by husband and wife, Sarbjit Jhooty and Nilam Patel.

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Manjit Jhooty, who operates independently through Jhoots Healthcare Limited and Pasab Limited, said: 'There is no legal, financial, or governance connection between my companies and those operated by Sarbjit Jhooty. The pharmacies that my businesses operate are all fully solvent, functional and continue to provide important services.’

This article initially reported that 60 Jhoots pharmacies were acquired by Allied Pharmacies. It was updated to say 61 on 8 January 2026 following an update from Allied Pharmacies.