Allied Pharmacies to restore services in North Devon after Jhoots closures

Allied Pharmacies has pledged to restore pharmacy services in North Devon following its acquisition of former Jhoots branches in Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin.

The company’s senior leaders, including CEO Suhaib Abdullah and Finance Director Suhail Sharief, visited Westminster this week to meet MPs and ministers, including members of the All-Party Pharmacy Group. 

The discussions focused on the future of community pharmacies, the challenges faced by rural outlets, and the importance of maintaining access to medicines and healthcare advice for local residents.

Jhoots, a national pharmacy chain, entered administration in January 2026, citing mounting financial losses and debts approaching £20 million. 

The chain had faced repeated operational problems, including closures and staffing shortages, which disrupted services across multiple regions, including the South West.

The closures left patients in some North Devon communities without convenient access to prescriptions and professional advice. 

Allied has now taken over 129 former Jhoots branches and plans to reopen them, ensuring staff transferring from Jhoots receive any outstanding pay.

Mr Abdullah said the Westminster meetings were an opportunity to ensure the government heard directly about the pressures facing smaller, rural pharmacies. 

He said: “It was particularly striking that there was virtually no division on party lines. The MPs we spoke to all recognised the huge importance of an effective, efficient and accessible pharmacy sector in terms of social care and health provision in this country, and they do recognise the financial and operational challenges which we face.  Of course, we absolutely accept that the Government has multiple competing demands for financial support and we recognise that we must operate within the necessary restrictions of our economy.  But it was hugely encouraging to find such a level of friendly and supportive concern from every MP we met, from the Minister down.”

Funding for community pharmacies has been a long-standing issue.

Rising costs, including inflation and staffing pressures, make it difficult for smaller outlets to operate sustainably, particularly in remote areas with few alternative healthcare providers. MPs from all parties reportedly recognised the critical role of pharmacies in social care and healthcare provision, and acknowledged the financial and operational challenges faced by operators.

North Devon MP Ian Roome welcomed Allied’s intervention. 

He praised the company for addressing back-pay owed to former Jhoots employees and said he would continue working with Allied to ensure continuity of service.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for a long-term plan to put community pharmacies, especially smaller rural ones, on a sustainable financial footing, so local people don’t lose access to essential medicines and advice,” he said.

“Following Allied's takeover of former Jhoots Pharmacies branches in Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin, I'll be staying in close touch with the team to help ensure people across North Devon can access the medicines and pharmacy support they

 need quickly and reliably.”

The Jhoots collapse sparked national concern, with regulatory investigations highlighting service failures and temporary closures that disrupted patient access elsewhere in the country.

As Allied works to reopen former Jhoots branches, residents in North Devon can expect to see pharmacy services return gradually over the coming weeks, restoring a key part of local healthcare infrastructure.