Growing North East pharmacy business expands with new acquisitions

Leading independent pharmacy business Porter Pharmacy has announced the purchase of two pharmacies as part of its ongoing growth plans

Porter Pharmacy, which is owned and run by husband and wife team Andy and Lynne Porter, have added two pharmacies to their existing group of outlets, with the company now operating a total of seven pharmacies throughout Aberdeen City and Shire.

The firm was founded by qualified pharmacists Andy and Lynne in 2006 when they purchased their first pharmacy in Bridge of Don.

Andy and Lynne met whilst studying pharmacy at Robert Gordon’s University and after a number of years working for national pharmacy companies, they decided to set up their own business.

Since 2006 the pair added four more pharmacy businesses in Cove Bay, Kincorth, Sheddocksley and Holburn to their original operation in Bridge of Don.

Funding was secured from the Bank of Scotland to assist with the new acquisitions, which are the former Lloyds Pharmacy branches in Westhill Shopping Centre and Arnhall Business Park. The pharmacies will be rebranded as Porter Pharmacy.

Ritchie Whyte (Partner and Head of Corporate) and Danny Anderson (Associate) at Aberdein Considine provided legal support for the financing and acquisition and Gemma Perfect (Partner) and Nicola Gray (Partner) provided legal support on real estate and employment law matters respectively.

Since buying the two pharmacies in Westhill, Porter Pharmacy has recruited five new staff, taking the total number of employees at Porter Pharmacy to 73.

Andy and Lynne have substantial plans to enhance the services of their new pharmacies and have already introduced a new delivery service.

In addition, they have also applied for planning permission to put in place a new 24 hour prescription collection kiosk in the Westhill Shopping Centre outlet and they will be making a significant investment in refitting both pharmacies.

Commenting on the deal Andy Porter said: “This is an important moment for Porter Pharmacy and having started our first independent business in 2006 it felt like the right time and the right opportunity to expand the business further.

We’ve always been focused on providing the best pharmacy for our customers and we will do everything to ensure that they receive a service that is practical, convenient and reliable.

It was vital to have expert advisers behind us, and the support we had from Ritchie, Danny, Gemma, Nicola and their teams was invaluable in getting the deal over the line.”

Ritchie Whyte, Aberdein Considine said: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Andy and Lynne over the last few years and in particular on these milestone acquisitions, which are hugely important not just for the business but also for the local community.

Andy and Lynne have built a fantastic business focused first and foremost on providing an excellent service to their customers across Aberdeen City and Shire and we wish them every success with the new pharmacies and look forward to continuing to support them and the business moving forward”.