Osborne opens Well pharmacy headquarters
CHANCELLOR George Osborne has opened the new Manchester head office of Well, the UK’s largest independent pharmacy chain.
Well is now the fourth pillar of the Bestway Group. The opening of the new headquarters at the Merchants Warehouse in Castlefield is part of Well’s rebrand programme following the £620m buyout from the Co-op by Bestway in 2014.
Mr Osborne declared the offices open as part of his visit to the city for the Conservative Party Conferences.
In total, 250 of Well’s employees, working in the branch support teams are based at the Grade II-listed 22,000sq ft space.
The event was attended by the chairman of Bestway Group, Sir Anwar Pervez along with Bestway Group chief executive Zameer Choudrey and Well Pharmacy chief executive John Nuttall.
Choudrey said: “The move forms part of Bestway’s £200m investment in a five-year strategy to develop and grow Well’s operations, with a target of annual revenue reaching £1b by 2019.
“Well also plans to extend its network of pharmacies from 780 branches to 1,000 across the UK by 2018.”
Speaking at the opening, Nuttall said: “This is a great day for Well and it’s fantastic to have a new home for the business, set right at the centre of the ever growing Northern Powerhouse.
Mr Osborne said: “This is one of the nicest office buildings I have been to in a long time. It’s brilliant to see all of these jobs coming here, and how you’re expanding the workforce.
“The thing that strikes me about your business is that there is so much care out there for your customers.”
Prior to its sale and rebrand, Well was based at the Co-op’shead office on Angel Square.
