Meet Joe Cattee…managing director of Peak Pharmacy
Overseeing a portfolio of high street pharmacies across the UK under the Peak Pharmacy brand, means Joe Cattee’s role is often that of estate manager than managing director.
“I lead by example and get involved in everything in the business, and that includes the property side,” says Joe.
Joe joined the business 15 years ago and since then the company’s property portfolio has tripled as it has grown via merger and acquisition, making it one of the largest independent community pharmacy groups in the UK.
Founded by Joe’s parents, Peter and Jane Cattee in Chesterfield in 1981, the business has grown from one pharmacy to over 150 pharmacies in the UK, across which the business employs more than 1600 people. Despite its size, Peak Pharmacy remains family-owned with Joe being very much hands-on.
The property side of the business genuinely interests me. It’s dynamic, it’s tangible and I gain experience from every project, whether that’s a property acquisition or disposal, disputes, or leases on shops, offices or warehouses,” he said.
The Mason Thomas Law team advise Joe on all aspects of commercial property transactions when it comes to the Peak Pharmacy property portfolio. Joe praises the team’s responsiveness saying: “I’ll often call Cathy on a Friday afternoon as I know she’ll be able to resolve an issue really quickly.”
Peak Pharmacy’s growth shows no signs of slowing down. “We’re constantly looking to grow our pharmacy network in order to strengthen and protect our existing estate,” added Joe.
The company already has exciting plans in place. Most recently it was announced that Peak Pharmacy is investing in a new Pharmacy Service Centre at Markham Vale, near junction 29A of the M1. The new facility will use state-of-the-art robotics and automated systems to support staff handling over 400,000 medicines and other prescribed items every month. The new Pharmacy Service Centre, which is expected to open in April 2023, will handle prescriptions and dispatch medicines for the firm’s 150 community pharmacies across England.
Joe explained: “These are ambitious plans for our company, staff and customers – in the face of a rapidly changing pharmacy landscape. This new facility will be truly transformational for us. We’re investing now to future-proof our business, so that we can continue to provide great local customer service which means so much to us.”