Supporting Peak Pharmacy with Practical HR and Employment Law Advice at Scale
Peak Pharmacy is a long-established, family-run business that has grown from a single pharmacy into a large, multi-site organisation employing around 1,500 people across the UK. With operations spanning from Manchester to Milton Keynes, the business continues to expand, bringing with it the increasing complexity of managing a large workforce.
CMP Legal has supported Peak Pharmacy for over five years, providing ongoing employment law advice alongside support with mergers and acquisitions as the business continues to grow.
We spoke with Andrea Street, Head of Support Office, who works closely with CMP Legal and leads on HR matters within the business, to understand how CMP supports Peak Pharmacy on a day-to-day basis.
A Long-Standing Relationship Built on Trust
Peak Pharmacy has worked with CMP Legal since the firm’s early days, building a strong and trusted relationship with the team.
The relationship originally developed through an existing connection but has since been maintained based on the quality of advice and support provided.
“We’ve worked with CMP for more or less five years now. They’re always our first port of call, whether it’s employment law, acquisitions or anything more complex.”
Moving Away from Insurance-Backed Advice
Before working with CMP Legal, Peak Pharmacy relied on an insurance-backed employment law provider. However, this approach quickly proved limiting for a business of their size.
Advice was often unclear, overly cautious and lacked the practical direction needed to make confident decisions.
“With our previous provider, the advice was quite restrictive and without any real guidance on what our options were.”
The shift to CMP Legal marked a clear change in approach.
“With CMP Legal, we get a clear plan. If something can’t be done immediately, they will explain what steps we can take to get there. It’s practical, it’s commercial, and it helps us move forward.”
Supporting Business Growth and Transactions
As Peak Pharmacy continues to quickly expand, CMP Legal also supports the business with the buying and selling of pharmacies.
Their familiarity with the business and previous transactions helps streamline the process.
“They know how we operate and how we structure deals. They’ll often prompt us based on what we’ve done before, which makes everything more efficient.”
Clear explanations and guidance are particularly valuable during complex transactions.
“They break everything down, so we fully understand our options and can make informed decisions.”
A Team That Delivers Consistent Support
One of the standout aspects of working with CMP Legal is the consistency across the entire team.
Lauren Pickard leads on employment and HR matters for Peak Pharmacy providing proactive, clear guidance and staying ahead of changes in employment law to ensure the business is always well prepared and supported.
Alongside Lauren’s lead support, Peak Pharmacy also benefits from a collaborative approach where other team members can quickly step in and support where needed.
“Whoever you speak to at CMP, they know what they’re doing. If Lauren isn’t available, someone else will pick things up and come back to us quickly. Sian Summers, for example, is always fully up to date with our position and needs. There are no delays and no need to repeat everything.”
This joined-up approach ensures continuity and reduces pressure on the internal team.
“You know you’ll have an answer quickly, which takes a lot of stress away, especially when dealing with employment matters.”
Supporting Businesses of All Sizes
Operating at significant scale, Peak Pharmacy has seen first-hand how CMP Legal supports a large, multi-site business and believes this level of service translates seamlessly to organisations of all sizes.
“We’d absolutely recommend CMP to other large employers, especially multi-site businesses. The support works at scale, and the advice is always clear and practical.”
Looking Ahead
As Peak Pharmacy continues to grow, CMP Legal remains a key partner in supporting both its people and its wider business strategy.
With ongoing employment law support and continued involvement in acquisitions, the relationship is set to continue as the business grows.
“They understand our business, they’re responsive, and they give us the advice we actually need. That’s why we continue to work with them.”