Bestway Group subsidiary announces acquisitions

LONDON: The UK’s largest Pakistani-owned business Bestway Group subsidiary Well Pharmacy has announced the acquisition of Lexon UK Holdings and Asurex Limited.

Lexon is a family-owned business that has been in operation for over 25 years. It operates primarily as a pharmaceutical wholesaler serving 3,000 retail pharmacy customers across the UK and Ireland from five sites.

The business also operates 42 community pharmacies, and is also a specialist developer and manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals as well as a solutions provider to pharmacies.

Haider Choudrey, Bestway Group CFO, said: “Through this acquisition, we seek to augment our growth momentum and bring in even greater benefits to both community pharmacies and patients. Well Pharmacy had been searching for a target to expand its footprint and complement its growth trajectory and we are confident that Lexon fits this criterion.”

Bestway Group is a diversified multinational family-owned business with yearly turnover over £4.5 billion, a customer base of over 12 million and a workforce of over 28,000 individuals. The group owns Pakistan’s largest Cement Manufacturer Bestway Cement Limited and the second-largest private bank United Bank Limited (UBL).

Well is the UK’s largest independent pharmacy chain, employing nearly 7,000 people and providing over 72 million prescriptions each year across our 750 pharmacies.

Seb Hobbs, CEO of Well Pharmacy, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming the 1,200-strong team at Lexon and Asurex to Well and the broader Bestway family, and are excited at the chance to grow our business to support even more customers and patients than ever before.”

Anup Sodha, MD Lexon, said: “Colleagues should look forward to a bright future, with the added security of being part of a larger group with the investment, opportunities and benefits.”