Lloyds Pharmacy to close all outlets in Sainsbury's stores across West Sussex

Lloyds says the closures – which the company says follow ‘changing market conditions’ – will be on a branch-by-branch basis.

But all the closures will take place over the course of the coming year.

Sainsbury’s branches in West Sussex where the pharmacies will close are those in Worthing Road, Horsham; Westhampnett Road, Chichester; Shripney Road, Bognor; Crawley Avenue, Crawley; Bannister Way, Haywards Heath; New Road, Rustington and Brooklands Way, East Grinstead.

It is thought there will be a number of job losses as Lloyds says it is ‘working with colleagues affected by the changes.’

Lloyds Pharmacy chief executive Kevin Birch said: “This decision has not been an easy one and we understand that our patients and customers may have questions about how the change will affect them.

"We would like to thank them for their continued support and assure them that we are committed to providing a smooth transition over the coming months.”

He added: “I am very grateful to all our colleagues for their dedication to our patients, customers and communities.”

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The pharmacy group says it is currently exploring options for each individual branch which means that timeline and final plans will vary on a branch-by-branch basis.

And it says it is “working with all colleagues potentially affected by the changes and has underlined its commitment to support them through the process.”

It adds that it is also ‘committed to helping patients easily find a suitable alternative provision.’