Sainsbury’s Opens First Combined Pharmacy and C-Store

Plans for the new Sainsbury Local have been in the works for more than two years.

September 11, 2014

LONDON – U.K. retailer Sainsbury’s is opening a combined convenience store and community pharmacy on a hospital site. The new store at Guy’s Hospital near London Bridge will employ 25 and offer a broad range of convenience merchandise for patients and visitors using the hospital. The new store will be open from 7 am to 11 pm, seven days a week.

Sainsbury’s has been providing a pharmacy service to outpatients at Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital since 2012, but this will be the first time any retailer has combined a pharmacy and convenience store in a hospital setting.

The retailer now operates more than 200 Sainsbury Local convenience stores across London, employing 6,000 people. It is planning to open up to 30 new stores in the area in the next six months, creating an additional 500 jobs.

As part of its expansion plans Sainsbury’s opened a convenience training center in Brixton earlier this year to train 700 convenience managers and team leaders.

Sainsbury’s Locals now account for 27% of the U.K.’s convenience market growth, with sales of £1.8 billion and year-on-year growth of 19%. The company is currently opening about two convenience stores every week and serves six million customers each week.

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