Two Chester pharmacies have been taken over by a community pharmacy group.

The Hub Pharmacy has acquired W S Young Ltd which includes pharmacies located at Boughton Health Centre and Heath Lane Medical Centre in Chester.

This means the Hub now operates 21 pharmacies across the north of England, with nine located in Cheshire or Wirral.

W S Young has owned the two pharmacies for more than 40 years and reopened them in the new health centres at Heath Lane and Hoole Lane when they were constructed.

Bill Young said: “I know the Hub Pharmacy team will build on the foundations of patient care that I and my staff have delivered at both pharmacies for so many years.

“We chose to pass our pharmacy business onto the Hub because we believe that their extensive experience of operating community pharmacies will enhance the pharmacy service offering to our patients and develop our staff via their training schemes.

“It has been a great privilege to work with the GPs and their staff in both health centres to provide the best possible patient care to the local residents over so many years.

“I will miss the daily chats with my patients but after over forty years as a pharmacist in Chester I feel it is time to retire and pass on my business to the next generation of pharmacists.”

CEO of the Hub Pharmacy, Steve Jeffers, said: “Bill Young has been a fantastic community pharmacist over many years for the people of Chester and I am sure they would all join me in wishing him well in his retirement.

”We look forward to working with his excellent staff to introduce new pharmacy services and expand the total pharmacy service offering from both of the pharmacies over the coming months.”

During the next six months, the Hub Pharmacy will invest substantial funds to completely refurbish both pharmacies, upgrade the pharmacy IT systems and introduce consultation rooms into each pharmacy which will enable a wider pharmacy service provision from both pharmacies.

All the staff in the pharmacies are being retained but Mr Young and his existing pharmacy manager at the Boughton health centre are both retiring after many years of service to the community in Chester.

The Hub is a community pharmacy group backed by Bridges Ventures, which specialises in investing in high-growth, high-impact businesses that address key societal and environmental challenges.