Moss Pharmacy, the community pharmacy division of Alliance Unichem Plc, acquired 31 pharmacies on March 1.
The purchases included nine pharmacies from Colchester and East Essex Co-operative Chemists Ltd. The pharmacies at Stanway, Greenstead, Colchester, Clacton, Burnham, Dovercourt, Earls Colne, Frinton and Manningtree are in a mixture of in-store and neighbourhood locations.
Mr Barry Andrews (managing director, Moss) said: "The Co-op acquisition is part of a programme to increase Moss's market presence by around 60 stores a year."
Transactions were also completed on the same day on 15 pharmacies from Donald M. Wood Stores in north west England, five from Sunscript in Scotland and two other pharmacies, bringing the total of number of branches in the Moss chain to 678. Moss has acquired nine pharmacies so far this year, in addition to those mentioned above.