A “quaint” pharmacy on the Isle of Islay that dispenses an average of 3,600 items a month has been sold to a couple relocating from South Shields for a lifestyle change. 

Islay Pharmacy, the only pharmacy on the island, went for an undisclosed sum, property broker Christie & Co said, adding that it “single-handedly services the island’s population of circa 3,200 residents”.

The seller was small group operator Sanjay Majhu, who had owned the pharmacy since 2018 and was looking to divest in order to reduce the size of his estate. He is also selling Inveraray Pharmacy and Tarbert Pharmacy in Argyll.

Lisa and Simon Simpson, who bought the pharmacy, said: “Having worked hard throughout the Covid pandemic, we decided we needed a change of direction in our careers. The next logical step for us was to become pharmacy contractors.

“We love Scotland and when we saw that Islay Pharmacy was for sale we contacted Sanjay. He was brilliant to deal with and we now have our future as part of the welcoming community of Islay.”

Mr Majhu commented: “We acquired Islay Pharmacy in April 2018 and grew turnover from £530,000 to just under £700,000. We decided to sell as our strategy was to acquire only within a 100-mile radius of Glasgow and Islay would be more suited for owner-operators.

“Lisa and Simon were the perfect candidates for this deal. We still plan to invest in community pharmacy moving forward and look for potential partners who want to get on the ladder.”