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HI Weldricks has a strong family ethos and is committed to community healthcare. Jane Ellis reports
Ron Alcock founded the independent multiple pharmacy group HI Weldricks in Hatfield, Doncaster in 1967. He had qualified as a pharmacist three years earlier from the Sunderland School of Pharmacy. His interest in pharmacy started in childhood when he helped out in his grandmother's pharmacy in the centre of Doncaster.
Not content with just one shop, however, Mr Alcock was keen to expand and by 1984 had nine outlets, which traded under the HI Weldricks name.
The firm remains in the control of the Alcock family to this day. Ron Alcock is still managing director. His son Christopher is business development director. The management team also includes superintendent pharmacist Richard Wells and operations director David Vanns. Together they are the motivational force behind the company.
There are now 47 branches throughout Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield, Barnsley and Lincolnshire. In total there are 450 employees, of which 49 are pharmacists. They are all highly motivated and committed individuals.
Training manager Marilyn Jones says there is a strong family ethos at the company. "They care for the people who work for them. There is a good forward-thinking...