The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), the trade association for multiple pharmacies, is delighted to announce that Lincolnshire Co-op will be joining as a member as of 1st January 2025.
As one of the most successful independent consumer cooperatives in the UK, Lincolnshire Co-op has been offering a wide range of services from its family of businesses for over 160 years. Lincolnshire Co-op owns 43 pharmacies in and around Lincolnshire and surrounding counties, providing its customers and patients with a wide range of NHS and private services, including blood pressure and cholesterol checks, travel vaccinations, and smoking cessation services. Lincolnshire Co-op also operates a pharmacy wholesale business, and a central fill pharmacy, which now serves over half of its branches. The facility, based in Lincoln, has dispensed over 1.4m prescription items so far this year.
Lincolnshire Co-op has its own membership scheme and dividend card and offers a widespread programme of community support, including a pop-up community health pod, which tours community events offering free health checks.
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of the CCA said: “I am delighted to welcome Lincolnshire Co-op into the CCA.
The CCA has long been the trade association for multiple pharmacies. We are very proud of our heritage and how we support our members as they continue to provide world class health and wellbeing services from their pharmacies. As the trade association for multiple pharmacies, we work to shape the future of community pharmacy and to create an environment where our members can operate in confidence, able to invest in their futures.
The operation and scale of Lincolnshire Co-op means that it is a perfect fit for the CCA. We are very excited to welcome new colleagues into our membership, so that we can share knowledge, experience and skills with each other, for the benefit of patients, the NHS, and the community pharmacy sector.
Alice Hare, Head of Care, Lincolnshire Co-op said:
“We are pleased to announce that Lincolnshire Co-op will be joining the CCA in 2025.
We have worked with the CCA on specific areas of pharmacy practice for several years, and joining the CCA feels like the best way for us to continue with our collaboration and benefit from the exceptional support it provides members.
The CCA represents multiple pharmacies so is a good for fit us, especially as we look to the future and how we can further invest to grow in pharmacy and support our communities with health and wellbeing services.
I am looking forward to meeting the CCA’s other members in the coming weeks and months and contributing to their collective efforts to build the future for community pharmacy.”
Notes to editors
Previously, membership of the CCA was only permitted for pharmacy businesses that owned more than 100 NHS contracted pharmacies in England, Scotland, and Wales, or the equivalent scale of business. Following a review of the association’s vision and mission, our members agreed to make changes to the requirements for membership, allowing other business with operating models and values similar to their own, to join. The CCA and its members believe that opening the membership will benefit both existing and future members, and the wider sector.
- About the CCA:
Established in 1898, the Company Chemists Association is the trade body for multiple pharmacies across England, Scotland, and Wales. We represent our members interests and provide them with a forum to bring together their scale, skills, experience, and resources for the benefit of patients, the NHS and the community pharmacy network.
- About Lincolnshire Co-op:
Lincolnshire Co-op is an independent co-operative society. Its purpose is to bring together ideas, energy, and resources to make life better in communities. It has around 300,000 members and 2,900 local colleagues in Lincolnshire and the surrounding counties and a board of directors who oversee the business. It runs 43 pharmacies, a central fill pharmacy and a pharmacy wholesale business.
The society also provides valued services from other outlets across its trading area including food stores, filling stations, post offices, travel branches, funeral homes, a florist, a crematorium, and community libraries. Community support includes a pop-up health pod, running a network of wellbeing walks and the Community Champions scheme, which donates to local good causes.
- For any interview requests please contact the CCA via [email protected] or the Lincolnshire Co-op via [email protected].