ONE of the two LloydsPharmacy branches in Thornbury is set to close.

The store has been named as one of as many as 190 that are set to be closed across England.

Meanwhile, the chain’s other branch in the town, on Horseshoe Lane in St Mary Centre, has been confirmed to have avoided the cull.

Branches in Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dursley are also remaining open, but Nailsworth’s branch on Mill Yard will close.

A spokesman for Celcio UK, owner of the LloydsPharmacy chain, said: “We can confirm that we are in the process of closing our store on High street in Thornbury.

“This is an ongoing process, therefore it’s too early to give any further details. What we can say, is that both the employees of the stores and the local communities are cared for as a priority.

“We do have alternative LloydsPharmacy stores in the area, including one on Horseshoe Lane in Thornbury. We are committed to providing the same levels of service to our customers and patients in the community.”

He added that the process across the country’s stores would be concluded by the end of January 2018.

Celcio UK announced back in October that the stores would be closing in response to "the dramatic funding and reimbursement cuts over the past 24 months".

The company employs around 17,000 staff across the UK.

Managing director Cormac Tobin made the announcement saying that changes to government policy over the past two years have gradually made operations at many LloydsPharmacy stores “commercially unviable”.