Joyce Morrison is bought by Moss in Scottish boost

Moss Pharmacy has acquired the 17-store Joyce Morrison chain in Scotland for an undisclosed sum.

The deal increases Moss's penetration in the central belt of Scotland and Tayside, and boosts the Alliance UniChem-owned chain's stores to 845.

The purchase includes shareholdings in two health centre consortium pharmacies.

Moss is aligning itself closely with local health service providers in its community strategy, offering add-on services such as blood pressure testing. All the stores are being re-badged.

Moss director of business development Chris Alyward said: 'Buying the Joyce Morrison chain provides a number of opportunities for us within this locality. We will be reviewing the retail operation and looking at what other services we can provide to the community.'

In the six months to June 30, Moss's sales climbed 12 per cent to£415 million in the UK.