Sheffield and Leeds sit roughly thirty miles apart in Yorkshire, connected by the M1 and a shared regional economy. Yet their pharmacy markets differ in ways that matter for pharmacists choosing where to work, operators deciding where to invest, and policy planners assessing healthcare access. PharmSee's data reveals a tale of two cities.
The headline numbers
| Metric | Sheffield (S1 1WB, 3mi) | Leeds (LS1 1UR, 3mi) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered pharmacies | 97 | 96 |
| Active pharmacies | 78 | 73 |
| Zero-revenue branches | 19 | 23 |
| GP practices | 77 | 79 |
| GP-to-pharmacy ratio | 0.79:1 | 0.82:1 |
| Avg revenue (active) | £116,235 | £101,185 |
| Median revenue | £111,272 | £95,688 |
| Vacancies (25mi radius) | 79 | 93 |
Source: PharmSee analysis of NHSBSA dispensing data and vacancy tracker, April 2026.
Revenue: Sheffield's £15,000 advantage
Sheffield's active pharmacies earn an average of £116,235 in annual dispensing revenue — roughly £15,000 more than their Leeds counterparts at £101,185. The median tells a similar story: £111,272 in Sheffield versus £95,688 in Leeds.
Several factors may contribute to this gap. Sheffield has slightly fewer active pharmacies (78 vs 73) serving a comparable number of GP practices (77 vs 79), creating marginally less competition per prescription. Sheffield also has a lower proportion of zero-revenue branches (19.6% vs 24.0%), meaning a higher share of its registered pharmacies are actively dispensing and contributing to the market.
Both cities have GP-to-pharmacy ratios below 1.0, indicating that pharmacies outnumber GP practices in both urban cores — a common pattern in English cities. The difference between 0.79 (Sheffield) and 0.82 (Leeds) is modest, but in a market where each percentage point of ratio translates to marginal prescription volume per pharmacy, even small differences accumulate.
Hiring: Leeds is busier and more diverse
Despite lower per-pharmacy revenue, Leeds has 18% more active job vacancies than Sheffield (93 vs 79 within a 25-mile radius). The employer mix also differs substantially:
Sheffield vacancies (79 total):
| Employer | Vacancies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Well Pharmacy | 26 | 32.9% |
| NHS Jobs | 20 | 25.3% |
| Weldricks | 13 | 16.5% |
| Boots | 8 | 10.1% |
| Cohens | 6 | 7.6% |
| Rowlands | 3 | 3.8% |
| Tesco | 2 | 2.5% |
| Superdrug | 1 | 1.3% |
Leeds vacancies (93 total):
| Employer | Vacancies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| NHS Jobs | 27 | 29.0% |
| Boots | 19 | 20.4% |
| Cohens | 17 | 18.3% |
| Well Pharmacy | 14 | 15.1% |
| Weldricks | 6 | 6.5% |
| Tesco | 4 | 4.3% |
| Rowlands | 3 | 3.2% |
| Superdrug | 1 | 1.1% |
| Day Lewis | 1 | 1.1% |
| Morrisons | 1 | 1.1% |
Sheffield's vacancy market is dominated by Well Pharmacy (33%), reflecting Well's strong regional presence in South Yorkshire. Weldricks, headquartered in Doncaster, provides a distinctive regional flavour with 16.5% of Sheffield-area listings — a share unmatched in any other major city.
Leeds presents a more evenly distributed picture: no single employer exceeds 30%, and nine different sources contribute listings compared to Sheffield's eight. NHS Jobs leads in Leeds, suggesting stronger NHS trust pharmacy hiring in the West Yorkshire area. Cohens Chemist, the Manchester-headquartered independent chain, has a notably larger presence in Leeds (18.3%) than in Sheffield (7.6%).
What this means for job seekers
Pharmacists in Yorkshire face a genuine choice between the two markets. Sheffield offers higher average revenue for those considering pharmacy ownership or partnership, plus a less competitive environment with fewer vacancies suggesting slower turnover. Leeds offers more job options, a more diverse employer mix, and — through its higher NHS Jobs share — potentially more hospital and primary care trust positions.
For the latest vacancy data across both cities, visit PharmSee's job search. For revenue benchmarking and location analysis, explore the pharmacy analytics dashboard.
Caveats
Revenue figures are based on NHSBSA dispensing data and reflect NHS prescription revenue only, not retail sales or private dispensing. Zero-revenue branches may reflect data-reporting lag rather than actual closures. Vacancy counts capture formally posted listings from PharmSee's 11 tracked sources and do not include informal or agency-based recruitment, which is significant in the independent pharmacy sector.