Independent online pharmacy The Family Chemist has announced rapid growth, with turnover expected to reach £50 million this year – and ambitions to double that to £100m next year.
The business attributes its rapid growth – having outgrown four sites since launching its weight-management service and currently looking for another – largely to soaring demand for GLP1-s and the expanding role pharmacies are playing in weight management.
Clinical director Sunny Dhain claims the soaring demand of GLP-1 weight-loss treatments is changing far more than the way obesity is treated. Instead, it is fundamentally reshaping the role of pharmacists and the services they provide.
The imminent launch of the Foundayo oral GLP-1 treatment, soon after the Wegovy pill, is set to accelerate that shift more, placing pharmacies even further at the heart of how a new generation of patients access, manage and maintain medical weight-loss treatment.
As a result, weight-loss medication accounts for around 70% of business at the pharmacy, helping drive projected revenue growth from approximately £30 million in 2024 to £50 million this year, with ambitions to reach £100 million in annual turnover in 2027.
The Nottingham-based business, which currently employs 40 people, plans to recruit a further 20 staff by the end of the year. The company is also searching for larger premises and says its continued expansion is expected to create further skilled jobs across pharmacy, healthcare, technology, logistics and business support functions over the coming year.
Dhain believes the Wegovy weight-loss pill – and the pending launch of the Foundayo oral GLP-1 – marks the beginning of the first generation of pharmacy-managed obesity care. In this, community and online pharmacies play an increasingly important role alongside GPs, dietitians, nurses and other healthcare professionals, transforming the role of pharmacists from dispensers to long-term obesity specialists.
He said: “For decades, pharmacies have largely been viewed as places where patients collect medicines and provide consultations. Today, we’re seeing something very different. The prescription is only one part of the patient journey.”
Having now served more than one million customers across its services and built a customer base of more than 500,000 patients, The Family Chemist says it is evolving from a traditional online pharmacy into a large-scale digital healthcare provider, investing heavily in clinical systems, automation, warehousing and patient support to prepare for its next phase of growth.
With GPs facing rising workloads and obesity affecting millions of people across the UK, pharmacists can provide accessible, clinically-appropriate support for suitable patients, helping ensure they receive regular reviews throughout treatment.
The Family Chemist believes GLP-1 medicines may ultimately be remembered not only for changing obesity treatment but also for accelerating one of the biggest shifts in the pharmacy profession in recent decades.
Speaking about the company’s growth, Dhain added: “We’ve experienced extraordinary growth over the past few years, but our focus has always been on building a safe, clinically-led healthcare business rather than simply processing more prescriptions.
“Every stage of our growth has required investment in people, technology and patient care. We’ve moved premises four times already and are now looking for a larger site that will support the next chapter of the business while maintaining the high standards our patients expect.”
He added: “We are now actively looking for another premises or warehouse that can support the next stage of our growth. The new facility will need to accommodate substantially higher dispensing volumes, additional staff, greater stockholding and more sophisticated fulfilment and logistics operations.
“The biggest change has been moving from operating as a traditional online pharmacy to building a large-scale digital healthcare business. We are now investing heavily in clinical systems, automation, technology, warehousing and patient support so the business can grow without compromising safety or service quality.”