Pharmacy2U has announced the acquisition of LloydsDirect, previously part of The Lloyds Pharmacy Group.

The two online pharmacies are now expected to merge their operations under the Pharmacy2U brand, although this will happen ‘over time’, the purchaser said.

‘We are delighted to welcome the LloydsDirect team into the Pharmacy2U family,’ said Kevin Heath, chief executive of Pharmacy2U.

‘We have admired their significant achievements over the past eight years, in particular their innovation in patient experience and focus on sustainability.’

Mr Heath added that the two businesses were aligned by ‘patient-centric values and online expertise to further enable pharmacy to benefit the NHS and its patients’.

Connie Cha, managing director of LloydsDirect, said the company would look forward to working as ‘one pharmacy team’ with Pharmacy2U, ‘leveraging cutting edge technology and automation in dispensing and offering greater access to digital services in the future’.

Pharmacy2U, a digital-first operation, was established in 1999. Specialising in repeat dispensing, its centralised and automated dispensing hubs serve over 750,000 patients across England.

LloydsDirect, formerly known as Echo, was established in 2015 and serves more than 500,000 patients in England with repeat prescriptions.

Customers of the two companies have been advised that there will be no changes to their service as a result of the acquisition.