Medicine Box Ltd, based in Sutton-In-Ashfield, is not able to repay its debts as they fall due, which has required it to undergo a process like liquidation to manage its affairs
A UK wholesaler of pharmaceutical goods is in the process of winding up operations.
Medicine Box Ltd, based in Sutton-In-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, is winding up operations, meaning cannot pay its debts as they fall due. This has required the legal process like liquidation to manage its affairs. The company’s date of winding up order was May 13, 2026.
Liquidation is the legal process by which a business is shut down. This often include selling the business’s assert as a means to generate cash which will be used to pay creditors and shareholders. This formalises the end of a company’s legal existence.
It has been reported that Medicine Box Ltd was paid £20 million advance by the government when it signed a £40 million contract to supply healthcare workers with personal protective equipment at a cost of £10 per item.
The contract started on April 25, 2020 and was supposed to be fulfilled by June 2020, Pharmacy Magazine reported in February 2021.
Medicine Box Ltd told Independent Community Pharmacist that it was required to supply four million pieces of protective coveralls which it said it delivered by May 31.
The company said it received the full £40 million. The “deposit” by the Department of Health and Social Care was paid when the contract was signed, while the remainder was paid “upon delivery and inspection” of the products.
The DHSC did not say whether contract was put out to an open bidding process, according to reports. According to Tenders Electronic Daily, the European public procurement journal, it received one tender.
A company behind a chain of high street pharmacies and beauty outlets has also entered administration.
Amiry & Gilbride Healthcare Limited (AGH) operates 13 stores across Scotland under LP North 14 Limited and LP North 15 Limited. The family-run business, launched in 2023, also runs two prescription collection units offering locker services and free medicine pouching.
An order from the Court of Session appointed administrators to the holding company, although neither of the two subsidiaries is affected. They are expected to be sold, with the pharmacies continuing to trade as normal, the Express reports.
