Bristol is one of only two cities in PharmSee's 14-city branch-level audit where every Boots contractor code within the 3-mile city-core ring records dispensing activity in the most recent NHSBSA quarterly dataset. The other is Dudley.
The BS1 1AA 3-mile catchment contains 10 Boots contractor codes, all with recorded dispensing items. Their combined operating average of approximately £66,256 per branch is the third-lowest in PharmSee's atlas — above only Birmingham B1 (£55,435) and Portsmouth PO1 (£54,100 in a preliminary audit).
The sister-pair geometry
What makes Bristol structurally unusual is the concentration of within-0.5-mile Boots pairs. PharmSee's geodesic analysis of the 10 branches identifies four pairs where two Boots contractor codes sit within half a mile of each other:
| Pair | Branch A | Branch B | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FLQ56 (BS1 3ED, £64,675) | FP386 (BS1 4UR, £26,088) | 0.47 mi |
| 2 | FXN96 (BS2 0SP, £88,209) | FH206 (BS4 4EW, £96,527) | 0.49 mi |
| 3 | FP386 (BS1 4UR, £26,088) | FMV20 (BS8 1QU, £26,062) | 0.46 mi |
| 4 | FMV20 (BS8 1QU, £26,062) | FNP44 (BS8 2NN, £53,454) | 0.50 mi |
Notably, FP386 and FMV20 each appear in two pairs, creating a chain of overlapping catchments running from BS1 through BS8 — four contractor codes within a corridor of approximately 1.5 miles.
Branch-level revenue
| Branch | Code | Postcode | Revenue | Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastville | FGE03 | BS5 6XX | £104,449 | — |
| Knowle | FH206 | BS4 4EW | £96,527 | — |
| Cabot Circus | FXN96 | BS2 0SP | £88,209 | — |
| Westbury-on-Trym | FHF65 | BS9 4JT | £86,587 | — |
| Hartcliffe | FNK97 | BS13 7TJ | £83,077 | — |
| Broadmead | FLQ56 | BS1 3ED | £64,675 | — |
| Clifton Down | FNP44 | BS8 2NN | £53,454 | — |
| Gloucester Road | FYE01 | BS7 8AD | £33,433 | — |
| The Galleries | FP386 | BS1 4UR | £26,088 | — |
| Queens Road | FMV20 | BS8 1QU | £26,062 | — |
The revenue distribution shows a clear two-tier structure: five branches above £80,000 (suburban and neighbourhood locations) and five below £65,000 (city-centre and Clifton corridor). The bottom two branches — The Galleries (FP386) and Queens Road (FMV20) — each record approximately £26,000, among the lowest operating-Boots revenue figures in PharmSee's atlas.
Comparison with other atlas cities
Across the 14 cities PharmSee has audited at branch level, Bristol's combination of 0% register changes and a low operating average is unusual:
| City | Boots Branches | No-Data Rate | Op. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dudley | 4 | 0% | £108,906 |
| Bristol | 10 | 0% | £66,256 |
| Manchester | 8 | 12.5% | £99,148 |
| Birmingham | 8 | 25% | £55,435 |
| Plymouth | 10 | 40% | £150,572 |
| Newcastle | 17 | 52.9% | £123,463 |
Cities where a higher proportion of contractor codes show no recent dispensing data — such as Plymouth, Newcastle, and Liverpool — tend to have higher per-branch revenue among the remaining active branches. This is consistent with a pattern where estate consolidation leaves fewer but higher-performing branches. Bristol's profile is the opposite: a full complement of branches, but with per-branch figures that sit in the lower third of the atlas.
The wider Bristol pharmacy market
The BS1 1AA 3-mile ring contains 70 pharmacies and 62 GP practices. Seven Lloyds contractor codes appear on the register, none with recorded dispensing activity in the most recent quarter — consistent with the Lloyds exit pattern PharmSee has documented across English city cores. Two Tesco contractor codes are present, both active.
Independent pharmacies account for approximately 45 of the 70 contractor codes (64%), with 42 recording dispensing activity — consistent with the independent-majority pattern PharmSee has documented in every English city-core it has audited.
Caveats
All revenue figures are derived from PharmSee's analysis of publicly available NHSBSA dispensing data. They reflect NHS-contracted dispensing activity only and do not capture retail sales, private prescriptions, or services outside the NHSBSA reporting framework. The absence of register changes does not indicate future estate stability — PharmSee does not have access to Boots UK's internal operational plans. Sister-pair proximity is measured by geodesic distance (as the crow flies) and does not account for physical barriers such as rivers, railways, or road networks that may separate catchments.
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Sources: NHSBSA dispensing contractor records; PharmSee database (13,147 pharmacies, 5.3M+ dispensing records, 35 months of data).