Liverpool is one of the most pharmacy-dense cities in England by absolute branch count, but its GP-to-pharmacy ratio tells a different story. With 150 GP practices serving the same urban area as 106 community pharmacies, Liverpool has a GP-to-pharmacy ratio of 1.42:1 — the highest of any major city PharmSee has measured.
That ratio matters. It means each pharmacy in Liverpool is, on average, supported by more GP prescribers than in cities like Manchester (0.93:1) or Sheffield (0.78:1). And the dispensing revenue data bears this out: Liverpool's active pharmacies earn more per branch than most comparable cities.
The core numbers
PharmSee's analysis of NHSBSA dispensing data and the NHS Digital contractor register for the Liverpool L1 1JJ three-mile urban ring:
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Registered pharmacies | 106 |
| GP practices | 150 |
| GP-to-pharmacy ratio | 1.42:1 |
| Zero-revenue branches | 19 (18%) |
| Active branches | 87 |
| Total dispensing revenue | £10.12M |
| Revenue per active branch | £116,291 |
The £116,291 average dispensing revenue per active branch is above most English cities PharmSee has profiled. For comparison, Manchester's active branches average £108,550, Sheffield's £117,315, and Oxford's £88,645. Liverpool's figure is consistent with the higher GP-to-pharmacy ratio driving larger dispensing volumes per site.
An independent-dominated market
Liverpool's pharmacy market is overwhelmingly independent. Sixty-seven per cent of all registered branches within the three-mile ring are independently owned — one of the highest independent shares PharmSee has recorded:
| Operator | Branches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 71 | 67% |
| Boots | 12 | 11% |
| Rowlands | 7 | 7% |
| Cohens Chemist | 4 | 4% |
| Asda | 4 | 4% |
| Superdrug | 2 | 2% |
| Tesco | 2 | 2% |
| Well Pharmacy | 2 | 2% |
| Lloyds (legacy) | 2 | 2% |
The independent dominance is a defining feature of Liverpool's pharmacy landscape and shapes the hiring market. Independent pharmacies typically recruit through local networks, word of mouth, and direct approaches rather than through the national job boards PharmSee tracks. This means the visible vacancy count likely understates total hiring activity in the city.
The zero-revenue question
Nineteen of Liverpool's 106 registered pharmacies — 18% — show zero dispensing revenue in the most recent NHSBSA quarterly dataset. This is consistent with other large English cities and reflects a mix of factors:
| Source of zero-revenue entries | Count |
|---|---|
| Independent | 8 |
| Boots | 6 |
| Rowlands | 3 |
| Lloyds (legacy) | 2 |
The six zero-revenue Boots entries are notable. As with all such figures, zero revenue in NHSBSA data may reflect data-reporting lag, temporary closures, ownership transfers, or other administrative factors rather than permanent branch closures. PharmSee cannot confirm operational status from dispensing data alone.
Stripping out the 19 zero-revenue branches, Liverpool's effective GP-to-pharmacy ratio rises from 1.42:1 to approximately 1.72:1 (150 GPs to 87 active pharmacies). This remains the highest effective ratio of any major city PharmSee has measured, reinforcing the picture of a market where pharmacies face relatively strong prescription demand.
The hiring picture
Within 25 miles of Liverpool city centre, PharmSee tracks 71 active pharmacy vacancies across the employer sources it monitors:
| Source | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| NHS Jobs | 29 (41%) |
| Cohens | 17 (24%) |
| Boots | 12 (17%) |
| Asda | 5 (7%) |
| Rowlands | 3 (4%) |
| Tesco | 3 (4%) |
| Superdrug | 1 (1%) |
| Morrisons | 1 (1%) |
NHS Jobs is the largest single source — a pattern common to cities with major teaching hospitals. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, and several specialist trusts generate steady demand for hospital pharmacy staff.
Cohens Chemist's 17 vacancies (24% of the total) reflect the chain's strong North West presence. Despite having only 4 branches in the Liverpool three-mile ring, Cohens recruits extensively across the wider Merseyside catchment.
How Liverpool compares
| City | Pharmacies (3mi) | GP ratio | Rev/active | Independent share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool L1 | 106 | 1.42:1 | £116,291 | 67% |
| Manchester M1 | 108 | 0.93:1 | £108,550 | 65% |
| Sheffield S1 | 100 | 0.78:1 | £117,315 | 69% |
| Sunderland SR1 | 55 | 0.78:1 | £158,092 | 78% |
| Oxford OX1 | 41 | 0.66:1 | £88,645 | 61% |
Liverpool's combination of high GP ratio, strong per-branch revenue, and independent dominance makes it one of the more commercially attractive pharmacy markets for existing operators, according to the data. Whether those conditions also make it attractive for new entrants depends on local pharmaceutical needs assessments, which this data does not capture.
Readers can explore Liverpool's pharmacies individually on PharmSee's pharmacy search, search vacancies on the job board, or run a full area analysis at the location tool.
Data sources: NHSBSA dispensing data (most recent quarterly release), NHS Digital contractor register, PharmSee job tracker (11 sources, snapshot 13 April 2026). All branch-level figures represent the three-mile radius from Liverpool L1 1JJ. Zero-revenue figures may reflect data-reporting lag rather than operational status.