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Manjit Jhooty has said he will rebrand the 21 pharmacies he owns under the Jhoots Pharmacies banner as JHL Pharmacy as he attempts to distance his businesses from those run by his brother Sarbjit which have been severely criticised for failing patients.

The new name for Manjit Jhooty’s branches, which he will still operate under his companies Jhoots Healthcare Ltd and Pasab Ltd, will take effect from this month.

Announcing the rebrand today, he pulled no punches, taking aim at the failing pharmacies run by Sarbjit Jhooty, who ran 129 branches through companies he owns alongside his business partner Nilam Patel.

Reports have emerged in recent months of pharmacies owned by Sarbjit Jhooty closing with little or no warning, not having a pharmacist on the premises and failing to supply patients with medicines. Sixty of those pharmacies were taken over by Allied Pharmacies, including branches in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Devon.

“The actions of other pharmacy operators trading as Jhoots Pharmacy have caused significant and irreparable damage to the brand name,” Manjit Jhooty said.

“Although our businesses have been independent of each other since 2019, my directors and I feel it is necessary to further distinguish our operations beyond the public statements that have been made to date.

“We will therefore be rebranding to JHL Pharmacy, with a new supporting strapline of ‘Just Helping Lives’. Those who know my organisation will be familiar with the commitment we have to the pharmacy sector, to regulatory compliance, and to the local communities we serve. Our new strapline reflects these values.”

Saddened to see the Jhoots Pharmacy brand name go 

He said he was “saddened to see the Jhoots Pharmacy brand name go from the pharmacies” he owned “after more than 20 years of hard work and dedication”.

However, he added: “We feel it is the most appropriate course of action given the circumstances. Looking ahead, we are fully focused on ensuring a smooth transition for all stakeholders.”

Manjit Jhooty said his leadership team, employees and branch locations would not change once the rebrand to JHL Pharmacy has taken place.

“Our governance and accountability (will) remain the same and our business strategy,” he said. “To maintain a size of organisation that is both operationally and financially robust, which can provide sustainable employment opportunities and a consistently high standard of customer service, (this) remains the same.”

Reiterating his pharmacies are separate from those run by his brother, Manjit Jhooty said the Government’s intervention in October, when the health secretary Stephen Kinnock told parliament it was looking at how to “deal more quickly with pharmacies that do not play by the rules”, coupled with poor pharmacy funding, was “wake-up call for the industry’”.

“We must use what has happened to discuss and address multiple factors, including how we make this sector more sustainable with funding that is fit-for-purpose, as well as better regulating the financial and operational viability of those who wish to expand at an exponential rate,” Manjit Jhooty said.

“Community pharmacy is one of the most fundamental front-line services in this country. It needs to be protected, both operationally and reputationally, so that the public continue to have unbroken access to vital prescriptions and services, as well as trust in the professionals behind the counter and at management level.”