Legal advice for Pharmacies in Scotland

From independent high street businesses to group operators, there is no doubt that pharmacy owners in Scotland have to deal with a range of complex business issues. From regulatory difficulties, problems with recruitment and supply chain demands to property arrangements and buying or selling a pharmacy, there are challenges at every stage of business development in this busy sector.

With one of the largest Healthcare teams in Scotland, Thorntons understands the various legal and practical issues faced by pharmacy owners. Our dedicated pharmacy team has many years’ experience acting for both national multi-site operators and individual pharmacies, successfully helping them to navigate the ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape within the pharmacy sector.

A cross-discipline team, we draw on the expertise and experience of our pharmacy specialists to provide your pharmacy business with a complete solution that not only satisfies your legal requirements, but that also works for you on a practical level. Our pharmacy team are consistently ranked by legal directories Chambers and Legal 500 as specialists in their field and with all of our legal services available across our entire office network, we are always on hand to provide clear, concise and practical advice that is tailored to your individual pharmacy and its requirements. We understand that our pharmacy clients are busy people, so we can offer a more flexible approach to discussions with you, with various out-of-hours, weekend and virtual appointment options available to suit you.

Therefore, whether you are looking to start a new pharmacy business, expand your current operations through acquisitions or mergers, challenge the granting or refusal of a pharmacy licence or retire and sell your pharmacy business, our pharmacy team are on hand to help.

How can Thorntons help?

Our pharmacy specialists can provide pharmacy operators with advice and support on a wide number of legal issues, including the following.

Buying a pharmacy business

Buying a pharmacy is a huge life decision and not one to be taken lightly or without having the right professional team on your side. Our pharmacy team have years’ of experience in advising both first time buyers and national group operators on pharmacy acquisitions and so have a solid understanding of the key areas of risk in the sector and our bespoke pharmacy due diligence process reflects this.

They have good relationships with the Healthcare managers in all major high street lenders and other brokers and so in addition to the legals are able to assist you with funding queries and applications.

Selling a pharmacy business

The sale of any business can be a complex and stressful time for owners, but this is particularly so when selling a pharmacy. You therefore want lawyers who understand the reality behind the numbers and who can effectively manage and deal with the sale process and generally make your life a bit easier.

With substantial experience in this area, our specialist pharmacy team can advise you on all the legal aspects of a pharmacy sale, guiding you through the whole process and working closely with you, your accountants and other professional advisers to ensure that you maximise your return and are protected in the sale documents to the fullest extent possible.

Regulatory advice

Pharmacy businesses in Scotland are governed by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and need to comply with various NHS prescription regulations. The regulatory demands can be complex and obtaining or challenging pharmacy licences can be difficult.

Our pharmacy team are on hand to help you comply with your obligations in terms of the various regulatory requirements and can respond quickly if you are concerned about regulation breaches.

Employment advice

Staffing can be a major concern for pharmacy businesses, with issues such as recruitment and locum costs playing a part. Our pharmacy team includes a number of employment law specialists, who can provide you with advice and guidance on a wide range of employment law matters, from employment contracts and policies to handling employment claims.

Business immigration and visas

If you are looking to recruit or retain specialist foreign talent, our pharmacy team includes immigration law specialists, who can help your business navigate the complex UK Visa and Immigration application process.

Property buying, selling and leasing

Finding the right premises and property arrangement for your pharmacy business (both now and in the longer term) can be demanding. At Thorntons, our pharmacy team can handle all of your leasing and commercial property needs. This includes lease negotiations, conveyancing, contracts and dealing with any disputes.

Data protection and GDPR

As your pharmacy business processes personal confidential data, you need to make sure you are compliant with data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Failure to do so puts your business at risk of potential fines and reputational damage.

Within our pharmacy team, our data protection legal and compliance experts can provide you with advice and practical support on your obligations under data protection legislation.

What our clients say.

As a first time pharmacy buyer I am glad to have used Michael and the wider team at Thorntons for our recent purchase of a Lloyds Pharmacy branch in Aberdeenshire. Michael came recommended to us from a couple of industry contacts and throughout the process I found his advice and experience to be invaluable in what was a complex transaction. The team at Thorntons were all so quick to respond to the many emails coming from not only myself but solicitors representing Lloyds and Bank of Scotland, ensuring that the tight timescales were met. Everything was explained to me throughout and at all times I had comfort that our interests were being well looked after. For any future acquisitions or disposals we will be sure to use the same team again.

Doug Forsyth | Macduff Pharmacy

We’ve used Thorntons Law LLP for our corporate legal work for best part of ten years. One of the main reasons that we moved to them was due to their wide spread of inhouse knowledge on a broad range of disciplines. Over the years of our relationship they have provided crucial advice on corporate acquisitions, employment law, commercial property, intellectual property rights and litigation.

Most of their work has been to help us expand our growing chain of pharmacies. Their Pharmacy team has assisted us to acquire twenty three pharmacies and invest just over £ 30M in our business. Their meticulous and comprehensive service to protecting their clients interests has been resolute and reliable. We have established a great working relationship that is all about teamwork and excellent advice.

Allan Gordon, Managing Director | Davidsons Chemists

We have worked with Thorntons on numerous Pharmacy acquisitions and disposals over a number of years now. The professionalism and attention to detail they demonstrate is nothing short of excellent. They take care of all aspects of our deals including property and employment law. Thorntons have a wide area of expertise, with solicitors having different specialities working seamlessly together in order to complete transactions in a timely and efficient manner.

Deans Pharmacy Group

I have a long standing relationship with the Partners at Thorntons which has been built on trust and an ability to deliver a high quality service. Their knowledge in the pharmacy sector is exceptional and I have always felt in safe hands when instructing them to act for Unity Trust Bank, whether that’s with a first time buyer or an experienced operator with more complex requirements.

Scott Hutchinson | Unity Trust Bank