Stoke-on-Trent is one of the larger pharmacy markets among England's mid-size cities. According to PharmSee's analysis of NHS England dispensing contractor data, the area within three miles of ST1 1LZ contains 74 registered pharmacies and 66 GP practices — a GP-to-pharmacy ratio of 0.89:1.
On paper, this places the Potteries in the well-served category. In practice, a significant number of those 74 branches no longer appear to be dispensing.
The Numbers
| Metric | Stoke-on-Trent (3mi of ST1) |
|---|---|
| GP practices | 66 |
| Registered pharmacies | 74 |
| GP-to-pharmacy ratio | 0.89:1 |
| Total dispensing revenue | £6,693,513 |
| Branches with no dispensing activity | 14 |
| Active branches (with recorded dispensing) | 60 |
| Effective ratio (active only) | 1.10:1 |
Revenue and branch data from the most recent NHSBSA quarterly dispensing dataset. Branches showing zero dispensing revenue may reflect data-reporting lag, temporary closures, or operational changes.
The Register Gap
Fourteen of Stoke's 74 registered pharmacies — 18.9% — show no dispensing activity in the most recent quarter. Nine of these are listed under the Lloyds Pharmacy contractor name, consistent with the pattern of unpruned register entries observed in other Midlands cities following the 2023 national estate changes. The remaining five zero-revenue entries are independently branded, which may indicate genuine closures, relocations, or reporting-lag artefacts.
When these 14 branches are excluded, Stoke's effective ratio shifts from a comfortable 0.89:1 to 1.10:1 — moving it from an apparently pharmacy-dense market to one that is essentially balanced, with roughly one active pharmacy for every GP practice.
Who Operates in Stoke
Stoke is a strongly independent market. Of the 74 registered contractors, 53 (72%) are independently operated — consistent with the independent-majority pattern PharmSee has observed in most English cities outside London and the South East.
| Operator Type | Branches | Zero-Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 53 | 5 |
| Lloyds (register entries) | 9 | 9 |
| Boots UK | 5 | 0 |
| Tesco | 3 | 0 |
| Morrisons | 2 | 0 |
| Superdrug | 1 | 0 |
| Asda | 1 | 0 |
A notable feature of the Stoke data is that all nine Lloyds entries show zero dispensing revenue, a 100% zero-revenue rate for that contractor name within this catchment. Boots UK, by contrast, operates five branches in the ring with all five recording dispensing activity.
Revenue and Per-Pharmacy Income
Total recorded dispensing revenue across all Stoke pharmacies was approximately £6.69 million. Among the 60 active branches, the average was roughly £111,600 per pharmacy — placing Stoke in the middle of the 13-city ranking PharmSee maintains, very close to Norwich (£110,500) and above Birmingham (£86,300).
The relatively large catchment area — 66 GP practices — generates a substantial prescription volume distributed across a large number of branches. For pharmacy owners, Stoke offers a market with moderate per-branch income but significant total volume.
Jobs and Hiring
Within 25 miles of Stoke, PharmSee tracks 24 active pharmacy vacancies — the thinnest hiring market among the four cities analysed in this series.
| Employer | Vacancies (25mi) |
|---|---|
| NHS Jobs | 12 |
| Boots UK | 6 |
| Asda | 2 |
| Others | 4 |
The relatively low vacancy count, combined with a large number of active pharmacies, suggests a stable workforce with limited churn. Unusually for a mid-size city, NHS hospital roles (12 via NHS Jobs) outnumber chain-retailer vacancies — possibly reflecting the presence of Royal Stoke University Hospital, a major employer in the North Midlands. For current listings, see PharmSee's job search.
How Stoke Compares
| City | Ratio | Effective Ratio | Zero-Rev % | Independent % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke | 0.89:1 | 1.10:1 | 18.9% | 72% |
| Norwich | 0.88:1 | 1.09:1 | 20.0% | 50% |
| Sunderland | 0.78:1 | 1.08:1 | 27.3% | 78% |
| Bath | 1.22:1 | 1.50:1 | 18.5% | 74% |
| Coventry | 1.06:1 | 1.16:1 | 8.6% | 72% |
Stoke and Norwich share nearly identical headline ratios (0.89 vs 0.88) but differ in structure: Stoke has 22 percentage points more independents and fewer chain branches. The effective ratios, however, converge at around 1.10:1 — suggesting that once register artefacts are removed, both cities face a similar supply-demand balance.
Methodology and Caveats
This analysis uses PharmSee's aggregation of NHS England dispensing contractor records, NHSBSA dispensing data, NHS Digital GP practice lists, and live vacancy data from 11 pharmacy job sources. All figures describe the area within three miles of ST1 1LZ, Stoke-on-Trent city centre.
NHSBSA dispensing data has a known reporting lag of approximately one quarter. Branches showing zero dispensing revenue are not necessarily closed. Revenue figures capture NHS prescription dispensing only. The nine Lloyds register entries are consistent with patterns observed in other cities but PharmSee cannot confirm their operational status from dispensing data alone.
Compare pharmacies in Stoke-on-Trent on PharmSee's pharmacy search or explore salary data by region.
Data sources: NHSBSA dispensing data via PharmSee, NHS Digital GP practice list, PharmSee vacancy tracker (11 sources). Snapshot date: April 2026.