Family-owned · Swindon, Wiltshire
H.G. Hanks Limited is a family-owned community pharmacy group serving Swindon for over 70 years — through Hawthorn Pharmacy in Gorse Hill and our newest branch, Old Town Pharmacy. NHS prescriptions, honest advice, and care that knows your name.
Our pharmacies
Both pharmacies dispense NHS prescriptions, supply multi-compartment compliance aids for patients who need extra support, and offer friendly, expert advice — no appointment needed.
Illustrative interior photo
Gorse HillOur long-established pharmacy on Cricklade Road, next to the local medical centre — serving Gorse Hill and the surrounding community, including many elderly patients we know by name.
Illustrative interior photo
Opened October 2025Our newest branch, inside the Co-operative store on Swindon's historic High Street — bringing full NHS pharmacy services back to Old Town. GPhC inspection passed March 2026.
Careers at H.G. Hanks
Our team has grown to 40 colleagues and our second pharmacy has just opened. We are now recruiting two Business Development Managers to help deliver our 2026–2029 growth vision — and as an A-rated licensed sponsor we can offer Skilled Worker visa sponsorship (Certificate of Sponsorship) to outstanding candidates from the UK and overseas.
About us
H.G. Hanks Limited was incorporated on 10 June 1954 and has traded as a dispensing chemist ever since. Founded by the Patel family — beginning with Dahyabhai Jhaverbhai Patel — the business passed to the second generation, and in September 2021 to a third: four directors of the family's holding company, PTL Holdings Limited, who lead the group today.
Figures from the company's latest filed accounts (year to 31 August 2025), via Companies House / Endole.
H.G. Hanks Limited is incorporated in Swindon, Wiltshire, as a dispensing chemist — the business that becomes Hawthorn Pharmacy on Cricklade Road.
Two generations of the Patel family build the pharmacy into a fixture of Gorse Hill — a community pharmacy near the local medical centre, serving a largely elderly population with NHS prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and multi-compartment compliance aids.
Ownership passes to PTL Holdings Limited, the family's holding company, and a new generation — Dipesh, Himesh, Priesh and Sunil Patel — becomes directors, with a mandate to modernise and grow the group.
The group's application for a second pharmacy, inside the Co-operative in Swindon's Old Town, is granted.
Old Town Pharmacy opens its doors — a second branch, a second neighbourhood, and a growing team of 40 colleagues.
Old Town Pharmacy passes its first GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) inspection, with all standards met — as Hawthorn Pharmacy has in its own inspections.
A two-pharmacy group, growing fast — and recruiting two Business Development Managers to build its next chapter. See the openings →
| Legal name | H.G. Hanks Limited |
| Company number | 00534268 (Registered in England & Wales) |
| Incorporated | 10 June 1954 · Status: Active |
| Registered office & head office | Hawthorn Pharmacy, 261 Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1AE |
| Nature of business | Dispensing chemist — community pharmacy (SIC 47730) |
| Ownership | PTL Holdings Limited (75%+ shareholder) — family holding company |
| Regulator | General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registered premises |
| Immigration sponsor | Licensed sponsor — Worker (A rating), Skilled Worker route (Home Office register) |
Our Vision · 2026–2029
For more than 70 years, H.G. Hanks has grown the way community pharmacy should — one neighbourhood at a time. Opening Old Town Pharmacy in 2025 was the start, not the finish. Over the next three years we will open five more pharmacies, win new NHS contracts, connect with care homes and hospitals across the region, and grow the group to £5 million in annual revenue — so that more people can get their medicines, vaccinations and health advice close to home.
Our published growth targets for the three years to the end of 2029.
How we'll get there
Five new branches across Swindon and Wiltshire by 2029 — in growing neighbourhoods, near GP surgeries and inside retail partners, following the model that worked for Old Town Pharmacy.
Winning and delivering more NHS work in every branch — Pharmacy First, hypertension case-finding, contraception, vaccinations and other advanced services — so NHS care reaches patients faster, locally.
Becoming the pharmacy partner care homes trust: reliable medicines supply, compliance aids, regular pharmacist medication reviews and staff training — targeting 20+ care-home and NHS partners by 2029.
Building referral links with local hospitals and GP surgeries, so patients leaving hospital are connected straight to their community pharmacy for discharge medicines support and follow-up care at home.
Welcoming 10,000+ new patients across the group — with online and NHS App repeat-prescription ordering, text-ready notifications and delivery for housebound patients, so nobody waits or goes without.
A stronger health and wellbeing retail offer in every branch — vitamins, skincare, mobility and everyday essentials, plus private services like travel health and health checks that patients can book in minutes.
The roadmap
Our third pharmacy opens. The first care-home supply contracts are signed, online repeat-prescription ordering and NHS App integration go live in every branch, and our two new Business Development Managers lead the growth programme.
Pharmacies four and five open. Hospital discharge referral links are in place with local partners, private travel-health and vaccination clinics run in every branch, and care-home supply extends across the Swindon area.
Pharmacies six and seven complete the network. The group reaches its £5 million annual revenue target, with 20+ care-home and NHS partners and 10,000+ new patients registered since 2026.
The path to £5m
| Dispensing at scale | Seven branches dispensing NHS prescriptions for a growing, ageing local population. |
| NHS services & contracts | More advanced and locally commissioned NHS services delivered in every branch, every year. |
| Care-home supply | Long-term medicines-supply contracts with care homes and residential providers. |
| Private services | Travel health, vaccinations, health checks and weight-management support that patients pay for directly. |
| Retail | A bigger, better health and wellbeing retail range in every pharmacy. |
Our pharmacies
Walk in without an appointment for prescriptions, vaccinations, health checks and advice. If you take regular medication, ask us about repeat prescriptions and compliance aids — we can organise them for you.
Illustrative interior photo
Established branchOur flagship pharmacy on Cricklade Road in Gorse Hill, close to the local medical centre. The GPhC describes a community pharmacy serving a largely elderly population — dispensing NHS prescriptions, selling over-the-counter medicines, and preparing multi-compartment compliance aids (dosette boxes) for patients who need help organising their medicines.
| Address | 261 Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1AE |
| Phone | +44 1793 522430 |
| Opening hours | Please check our NHS profile for the latest opening times, or call us. |
| GPhC premises no. | 1038759 — inspected, standards met |
Illustrative interior photo
Opened October 2025Our newest pharmacy, inside the Co-operative food store on High Street in Swindon's Old Town — pick up your prescription with your shopping. Registered with the GPhC in October 2025 and passed its first routine inspection in March 2026 with all standards met.
| Address | Inside the Co-operative, High Street, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 3EG |
| Phone | +44 1793 315200 |
| Monday – Friday | 9:00am – 1:00pm & 2:15pm – 7:30pm |
| Saturday | 9:00am – 12:00pm & 1:00pm – 5:00pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
| GPhC premises | Registered October 2025 — inspected March 2026, standards met |
Services
Available at both pharmacies unless stated. Some clinical services are seasonal or by appointment — call your branch to check today's availability.
Careers
H.G. Hanks has grown from one pharmacy to two, and from 21 to 40 colleagues in a single year. To deliver our 2026–2029 vision we are now recruiting two Business Development Managers — 2 openings for the same role — to work across the whole group. These are genuine, full-time, permanent positions, open to international applicants, and we are hiring now: we want both managers in post as soon as possible.
2 openings — hiring now. We're recruiting two Business Development Managers to help deliver our 2026–2029 vision, starting as soon as possible. Grow the group's income beyond the prescription counter — care-home contracts, private health services and new revenue streams across both pharmacies.
A modern community pharmacy earns far more than dispensing fees — if someone is out there winning the work. Care homes need a pharmacy partner to supply residents' medicines. Patients pay privately for vaccinations, travel health and health checks. Local GP surgeries and community organisations refer patients to pharmacies they trust. With a second branch now open, we are recruiting two Business Development Managers to build those income streams deliberately: finding new contracts and partnerships, growing our private services, and increasing retail performance across both pharmacies. Both hires start as soon as possible — the growth they win is what makes the rest of the vision happen. This role delivers our 2026–2029 vision: 20+ care-home and NHS partners, referral links with hospitals and GP surgeries, 10,000+ new patients and £5 million in annual revenue by 2029 (see Our Vision).
Send your CV and a cover letter by email to hr@hg-hanks.co.uk — please write “Business Development Manager” in the subject line. Applications are accepted by email only; there is no online application form.
Visa sponsorship
Both Business Development Manager openings are open to candidates who need a UK Skilled Worker visa. H.G. Hanks Limited holds a Home Office sponsor licence (Worker, A rating — Skilled Worker route), which means we are authorised to sponsor overseas workers for genuine roles in our business.
Email your CV and a short cover note to hr@hg-hanks.co.uk (see “How to apply” below). Shortlisted candidates are interviewed (video call for overseas applicants) and we check the role is a genuine fit.
We issue a formal offer. The salary meets the Skilled Worker threshold and the going rate for its occupation (SOC) code.
For candidates outside the UK, we request a Defined Certificate of Sponsorship from UK Visas & Immigration — typically decided in about 1 working day.
The CoS is issued in your name only — it is not transferable — and is valid for 3 months. We send you the CoS reference number.
Our in-house legal team in the UK prepares and submits your Skilled Worker visa application for you — we handle everything from here, end to end. You pay the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (our legal team confirms the exact amount with you in advance); the CoS fee and Immigration Skills Charge are paid by us. Standard decisions take around 3 weeks.
Once your visa is granted, you travel to the UK and start work with us in Swindon. We need these roles filled as soon as possible, so you must be ready to relocate at short notice — most sponsored colleagues are in post within about a month of the CoS being assigned.
Apply now
There is no online application form for these roles. To apply, simply send your CV (resume) and a cover letter by email to hr@hg-hanks.co.uk.
Send your CV and cover letter by email to hr@hg-hanks.co.uk. Questions about either role? Call head office on +44 1793 522430.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and both Business Development Manager positions stay open until filled. Priority is given to candidates already based in the UK, and the strongest priority to candidates who already hold the right to work in the UK. We contact shortlisted candidates by email.
Questions
Yes. H.G. Hanks Limited appears on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors with an A rating for the Worker (Skilled Worker) route. That licence is what allows us to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to a suitable overseas candidate for a genuine role in our business — like the Business Development Manager openings on this page.
We do. By law, the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge must be paid by the sponsoring employer and can never be charged to the worker. If anyone asks you to pay these, it is not us.
Typically: Defined CoS decision in about 1 working day, then a Skilled Worker visa decision in around 3 weeks for applications made outside the UK — our legal team prepares and submits the application for you. Most candidates can start within roughly a month of the CoS being assigned, subject to UKVI processing, so please be ready to relocate at short notice.
No. The Business Development Manager role needs contract-winning and partnership experience; healthcare or care-sector experience helps but is not essential.
Skilled Worker visa holders can usually bring a dependant partner and children, provided the Home Office requirements (including the financial requirement) are met at the time of application.
The Business Development Manager roles are based in Swindon, Wiltshire, working across Hawthorn Pharmacy (Gorse Hill) and Old Town Pharmacy (Old Town), with the group's head office at the Hawthorn Pharmacy address.
Contact
For prescriptions and health advice, call your branch — a member of the pharmacy team will help. For general and business enquiries, email us at info@hg-hanks.co.uk or write to our head office at the Hawthorn Pharmacy address. Job applications go to a separate address — hr@hg-hanks.co.uk (see below).
If you need urgent medical help, contact NHS 111 or your GP. In an emergency, dial 999. Pharmacy opening times can change on bank holidays — please check the NHS profile for your branch.