Avicenna Pharmacy
Avicenna Pharmacy is a UK independent pharmacy group operating 17 retained community pharmacy branches across England, dispensing NHS prescriptions, delivering Pharmacy First clinical services, and offering Online Weight Management, Travel Clinics, and the Manage My Meds digital repeat prescription app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersSouth Norwood, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Avicenna Pharmacy does
Avicenna Pharmacy is a private UK community pharmacy group formed in 1992 and headquartered at Selsdon House, 212-220 Addington Road, South Croydon. Operating through the corporate structure of Avicenna Holdings Ltd (parent) and Avicenna Retail Ltd (subsidiary, Company No. 04487641), the business retains 17 physical branches across England spanning the North East (Newcastle, Sunderland, South Tyneside), the South (Bournemouth), the Midlands (Nottinghamshire, Rotherham), and Cornwall (Bude), after divesting its Welsh branches. The company's core offer is NHS prescription dispensing via the NHS Electronic Prescription Service, augmented by the Pharmacy First clinical service covering seven common conditions, NHS and private flu vaccinations, COVID-19 vaccinations, emergency contraception, smoking cessation support, and the New Medicine Service. Specialist services include a Travel Clinic at Bude and Farnsfield with destination-specific vaccinations and antimalarials, and the Online Weight Management Service which provides pharmacist-led consultations with free next-day delivery and ongoing support.
Underpinning the digital proposition is the Manage My Meds application — a digital repeat prescription ordering tool available on iOS, Android, and web that authenticates via NHS Login and integrates with NHS EPS through EMIS Web, allowing patients to nominate an Avicenna branch as their Nominated Pharmacy and request electronic repeat prescriptions directly from NHS England GPs. Beyond the 17 retained branches, the Avicenna collective is described as supporting over 1,000 independently owned pharmacies nationally, positioning the brand as the UK's largest independent pharmacy support group.
Revenue mechanics span NHS-funded dispensing fees and Pharmacy First clinical service payments, private transaction fees for flu and travel vaccinations, and a subscription-style recurring stream from the Online Weight Management Service (treatment fees confirmed post-consultation, with free initial consultation). Customer concentration is structurally anchored to NHS England as the dominant payor across dispensing and Pharmacy First, complemented by a consumer patient base across multiple branch localities. Leadership comprises CEO Jake Wright, CFO Richard West, Superintendent Pharmacists Jennifer Rowe and Rupenchandra Sedani, and co-founder Jonathan Power.
Avicenna Pharmacy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Avicenna Pharmacy
- Legal name
- Avicenna Retail Ltd
- Website
- https://avicennapharmacy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Avicenna Pharmacy is a UK independent pharmacy group operating 17 retained community pharmacy branches across England, dispensing NHS prescriptions, delivering Pharmacy First clinical services, and offering Online Weight Management, Travel Clinics, and the Manage My Meds digital repeat prescription app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Avicenna Pharmacy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Pharmacy Services
- NAICS
- Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110)
- SIC
- Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail & Community Pharmacies (Chain/Independent) (HLAFALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Provider/Health-System Telehealth + In-House/Owned Pharmacy Integration (HLALAIAB), Retail & Pharmacy-Based Urgent Care Clinics (HLAFADAE)
Keywords
Where Avicenna Pharmacy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South Norwood
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices18 records
Markets served
Avicenna Pharmacy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- NHS Prescription Dispensing: Core revenue stream from dispensing NHS prescriptions. Pharmacies act as nominated pharmacies receiving electronic prescriptions via NHS EPS and dispensing medications. Funded through NHS prescription charges and dispensing fees.
- Private Vaccination Services: Revenue from private flu vaccinations, COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, and travel vaccinations (typhoid, hepatitis A and B) offered at branches for non-NHS eligible patients.
- Weight Management Treatments: Online weight management service with pharmacist consultation (free initial consultation) and treatment prescriptions. Treatment costs confirmed during consultation.
- Pharmacy First Clinical Services: NHS-funded clinical services for treating seven common conditions (earache, sore throat, sinusitis, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, UTIs) without GP appointments. Funded under Pharmacy First scheme.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | NHS Prescription Standard Charge |
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Weight Management Initial Consultation |
| Subscription | Monthly | Weight Management Treatment |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Avicenna Pharmacy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Avicenna Pharmacy operates 17 community pharmacy branches across England dispensing NHS prescriptions and delivering pharmacist-led clinical services, including Pharmacy First consultations for seven common conditions, flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, emergency contraception, smoking cessation support, and the New Medicine Service. It also provides an online weight management program with pharmacist consultation and free next-day delivery, and dedicated travel vaccination clinics at Bude and Farnsfield branches, supported by the Manage My Meds digital repeat prescription app integrated with NHS Electronic Prescription Service.
Product overview
Avicenna Pharmacy operates 17 retained pharmacy branches across England, offering a combination of physical in-store services and digital health solutions. The core offerings include NHS prescription dispensing, the Manage My Meds digital repeat prescription app, Online Weight Management Service, Travel Clinic (at Bude and Farnsfield branches), Pharmacy First, flu vaccinations, COVID-19 vaccinations, emergency contraception, and smoking cessation support. The Manage My Meds app connects to NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) via EMIS Web, enabling patients to request repeat prescriptions electronically. The Online Weight Management Service provides pharmacist-led consultations with free next-day delivery of treatments. All 17 branches offer standard NHS services including prescription dispensing, flu jabs, and Pharmacy First consultations for common conditions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Manage My Meds: Digital repeat prescription order service available as a mobile application for NHS England GP prescriptions.
Products and services
- NHS Prescription Dispensing
- Manage My Meds
Quantifiable outcome
- Free next-day delivery for weight management treatments
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Avicenna Pharmacy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Avicenna Pharmacy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
Avicenna Pharmacy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MindminorAvicenna partnered with mental health charity Mind in June 2020 to create the 'Moving Miles for Mind' fundraising campaign during the COVID-19 lockdown. The campaign involved team members completing miles through running, walking and cycling to raise funds for mental health support. The team exceeded their goal, raising over £10,000.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Avicenna Pharmacy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tesco Pharmacy: In-store supermarket pharmacies across the UK offering NHS dispensing, flu vaccinations, and travel clinics. Overlaps with Avicenna's service mix but embedded inside a national grocery retailer.
- Superdrug Pharmacy: High-street health and beauty retailer with pharmacy counters offering NHS prescriptions, Pharmacy First, and private clinical services. Comparable retail pharmacy offering but with a wider non-pharmacy retail portfolio.
- Boots (Walgreens Boots Alliance): The largest UK pharmacy chain (~2,000+ stores) offering NHS dispensing, Pharmacy First, flu vaccinations, weight management, and travel clinics. A broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities but vastly larger scale and a national marketing footprint.
Direct peers
- Cohens Chemist: UK independent pharmacy chain with 200+ branches offering NHS dispensing, Pharmacy First, and clinical services. Operates a comparable community pharmacy model with strong NHS revenue exposure.
- Day Lewis Pharmacy: UK independent pharmacy group with over 260 branches delivering NHS prescriptions, Pharmacy First, vaccinations, and weight management services. Comparable mid-sized independent chain structurally similar to Avicenna.
- Well Pharmacy: One of the UK's largest independent pharmacy chains with ~760 branches, offering NHS dispensing, Pharmacy First, vaccinations, and private services. Highly comparable to Avicenna at scale, with the same core community pharmacy model and NHS revenue mix.
- Rowlands Pharmacy: UK community pharmacy chain with several hundred branches operating NHS dispensing, Pharmacy First, and private clinical services. Closely comparable to Avicenna in operating model and NHS dependency.
Others
- Numark Pharmacy: UK buying group and support partner for independent community pharmacies, providing wholesale, operational, and marketing support. Comparable to Avicenna's network support arm serving 1,000+ independent pharmacies.
Emerging players
- Pharmacy2U: UK online pharmacy / NHS repeat prescription delivery service that competes with community pharmacies for repeat NHS prescriptions. Directly comparable to Avicenna's Manage My Meds service but at a digital-first scale.
- PillTime: UK online pharmacy providing NHS repeat prescriptions packed by dose and delivered to patients. Competes with Avicenna's Manage My Meds service for the same NHS repeat prescription demand pool.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Avicenna Pharmacy social profiles
Digital presenceAvicenna Pharmacy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Avicenna Pharmacy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Avicenna Pharmacy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Avicenna Pharmacy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Avicenna Pharmacy
What does Avicenna Pharmacy do?
Avicenna Pharmacy operates 17 community pharmacy branches across England dispensing NHS prescriptions and delivering pharmacist-led clinical services, including Pharmacy First consultations for seven common conditions, flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, emergency contraception, smoking cessation support, and the New Medicine Service. It also provides an online weight management program with pharmacist consultation and free next-day delivery, and dedicated travel vaccination clinics at Bude and Farnsfield branches, supported by the Manage My Meds digital repeat prescription app integrated with NHS Electronic Prescription Service.
Is Avicenna Pharmacy a public or private company?
Avicenna Pharmacy is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Avicenna Pharmacy founded?
Avicenna Pharmacy was founded in 1992. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Avicenna Pharmacy based?
Avicenna Pharmacy is headquartered in South Norwood, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Avicenna Pharmacy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. NHS Prescription Dispensing is the primary driver. The others are private Vaccination Services, weight Management Treatments and pharmacy First Clinical Services.
Who are Avicenna Pharmacy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tesco Pharmacy, Superdrug Pharmacy and Boots (Walgreens Boots Alliance). Direct peers are Cohens Chemist, Day Lewis Pharmacy, Well Pharmacy and Rowlands Pharmacy. Numark Pharmacy is listed as an others. Emerging players are Pharmacy2U and PillTime.
Does Avicenna Pharmacy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Avicenna Pharmacy.
What industry is Avicenna Pharmacy in?
Avicenna Pharmacy's product category is Community Pharmacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFALAA, Retail & Community Pharmacies (Chain/Independent), with a secondary code of HLALAIAB, Provider/Health-System Telehealth + In-House/Owned Pharmacy Integration. Its NAICS code is 456110 and its SIC code is 5912.