In a business announcement to Well Pharmacy employees seen by C+D, Bestway Healthcare CEO Seb Hobbs said that Mr Purchase had “decided now is the right time for him to leave Well to pursue new ventures outside of the business”.
Mr Hobbs said he would “like to thank [Mr] Purchase for his service to Well Pharmacy” in a statement to C+D yesterday afternoon (June 26).
Read more: Seven-pharmacy divestment mooted amid Well/Lexon competition concerns
It remains unclear when the decision will take effect.
Mr Purchase began his career with Well Pharmacy in November 2016, when he became a regional manager for the south west of England. He became head of central operations in November 2019, moving to the operations director role in 2021.
New appointments
Well Pharmacy confirmed to C+D that Andrew Caplan will become the multiple’s new chief retail officer on July 3 and Lexon’s managing director Anup Sodha will become its chief wholesale officer. It remains unclear when Mr Sodha will assume this role.
It follows a merger between Bestway Healthcare and Lexon UK, which operates 46 UK pharmacies under the Knights pharmacy brand, in April as part of a deal that also encompassed Lexon’s wholesaling business and the perfume wholesaler Asurex.
Mr Hobbs said the multiple was “delighted to welcome Andrew Caplan as our new chief retail officer”. “He shares our commitment to improving the lives of our patients and customers and his experience will support our growth ambitions," he continued.
Read more: Well parent company’s merger with Lexon sparks competition concerns
“Bringing Lexon and Asurex into the Bestway family reinforces our commitment to the future of community pharmacy for years to come. The changes we are making to our organisation design reflect that commitment, too,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed last week (June 20) that it is considering the proposed divestment of seven pharmacy stores as part of its investigation into the Bestway-Lexon merger.
It followed concerns raised by the CMA on June 15 that the deal “could lead to a significant lessening of competition between retail pharmacies” in 12 areas in Liverpool and the north east of England.
