Pharmacy group Avicenna has added 57 branches to its estate with the acquisition of Dudley Taylor Pharmacies for an undisclosed sum.

The new pharmacies are all community based, with a mixture of neighbourhood, high street and health centre locations across Yorkshire, the Midlands, the South of England and Wales, Avicenna said.

It brings the pharmacy’s estate to 101 branches across the UK.

Jonathan Power, Avicenna Pharmacy’s chief executive, said: ‘As part of a long-standing strategy to grow the business, I am delighted to announce the acquisition of Dudley Taylor Pharmacies Ltd, consisting of 57 stores. This will take our estate to 101 branches.

‘Dudley Taylor pharmacies are a great fit for the Avicenna family and perfectly complement our existing locations across the North East and the South of England.’

He added: ‘I feel passionate and excited about the future of UK pharmacy. Avicenna will continue to invest in the sector, across both our own retail pharmacies as well as our independent member support organisation.’

The acquisition, advised by Charles Russell Speechlys LLP and Hazlewoods LLP, follows a rebrand of the group’s stores and the founding of its tech business unit called AviLab, which the groups said will see investment in technologies to support pharmacy stores.

This will initially include the further development of integrated purchasing system AviBuyer and patient app Manage My Meds, which was rolled out in December