Hundreds of local residents have signed the petition after becoming aware that the pharmacy in Catterick, North Yorkshire, would close in August this year.
The closure is a “drastic change” to local pharmacy provision for residents who rely on the longer opening hours and accessible parking of the store, the petition said.
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“If Tesco pharmacy closes in August 2023, it will mean that anyone wanting to access a prescription before 9.00 or after 17.00 will have to travel to Northallerton or Darlington,” it stated.
“As well as the opening hours, there is also convenience and physical accessibility. Tesco is much more user friendly in terms of parking – [it] caterers for blue badge and child and parent parking,” it added.
At the time of writing, the petition had attracted 375 signatures with some respondents saying they would struggle to access medicines if the pharmacy shut.
Insufficient customer demand
Tesco confirmed to C+D that the pharmacy at the Catterick Garrison store is expected to shut down in August – one of eight recently earmarked for closure by the supermarket chain.
A spokesperson said the pharmacy was committed to being open 100 hours a week as part of its licence but there was insufficient customer demand in the area, making it unsustainable.
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Another pharmacy is available within 0.8 miles of the Tesco branch, the spokesperson added.
Tesco said it would work hard to find alternative roles for pharmacy colleagues in nearby stores where possible.
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The chain announced at the end of January that it was considering some changes to its UK operations including the closure of eight pharmacies “where there are other pharmacies within one mile of our store”.
It would be entering a “consultation process with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers on these proposals”, it added.
Tesco continues to have 365 pharmacies across its large stores, the supermarket said.
