Key Points
- Scotpharm (MNA) Limited and MSLNA Healthcare Limited entered administration on 7 September 2026, affecting businesses linked to more than 20 high street pharmacies in Scotland.
- The connected pharmacy operations employ around 420 people across east central Scotland.
- James Stephen, Danny Dartnaill and Benjamin Peterson of BDO were appointed as joint administrators.
- The businesses are based principally in Glenrothes and Lochgelly.
- BDO said the pharmacy operating subsidiaries have not themselves entered administration and are continuing to trade.
- Funding lines have been secured to support continued trading, with suppliers expected to continue being paid normally.
- BDO intends to sell the pharmacies as going concerns, with interested parties invited to register their interest.
- Scotpharm (MNA) Limited is the holding company for Barrie Dear Limited, which operates 12 pharmacies.
- MSLNA Healthcare Limited is the holding company for LP North Sixteen Limited, which operates four pharmacies, and LP North Eighteen Limited, which operates a further six.
- The wider group also operates two prescription collection units, including prescription locker collections and a free medicine pouching service.
- The administration follows the earlier collapse of Amiry & Gilbride Healthcare Limited, another Scottish pharmacy holding company, which entered administration in April 2026.
- Official Companies House records show that Scotpharm and MSLNA each had an administrator appointment filed on 10 September 2026, following the appointments dated 7 September reported in the coverage.
- The latest UK Government insolvency figures show that 83 company insolvencies were registered in Scotland in July 2026, 28% fewer than in July 2025.
Two Scottish pharmacy holding companies linked to more than 20 high street pharmacies have entered administration, but the pharmacy outlets themselves are continuing to trade after administrators secured funding for the businesses. Scotpharm (MNA) Limited and MSLNA Healthcare Limited, which are linked to operations employing about 420 people, were placed into administration on 7 September 2026, with BDO appointed to oversee the process and seek buyers for the pharmacies as going concerns.
What has happened to the Scottish pharmacy businesses?
The Herald reported that Scotpharm (MNA) Limited and MSLNA Healthcare Limited had entered administration, placing the future ownership of more than 20 Scottish pharmacy outlets under review.
The companies operate through subsidiary businesses rather than directly running all of the pharmacy outlets themselves. This distinction is important because the subsidiaries operating the pharmacies have not been placed into administration.
According to the reporting, James Stephen, Danny Dartnaill and Benjamin Peterson of BDO were appointed as joint administrators on 7 September. The businesses have their main bases of operations in Glenrothes and Lochgelly.
The administrators have secured funding intended to allow the pharmacy operations to continue trading while a buyer is sought.
The immediate consequence is therefore not the closure of the pharmacies. Instead, BDO is undertaking an administration and sale process while the operating companies continue their normal activities.
How many pharmacies are connected to Scotpharm and MSLNA?
The two holding companies are connected to a total of 22 pharmacies.
Scotpharm (MNA) Limited is the holding company for Barrie Dear Limited, which operates 12 pharmacies.
Meanwhile, MSLNA Healthcare Limited is the holding company for two other operating businesses. LP North Sixteen Limited operates four pharmacies, while LP North Eighteen Limited operates a further six.
Together, those businesses account for 22 pharmacy outlets.
The structure means that the administration of the holding companies does not automatically place every individual pharmacy into administration. The operating subsidiaries remain outside the administration process and continue trading.
That distinction was emphasised by BDO as the administrators moved to protect trading activity while examining options for the businesses.
What did BDO say about the pharmacy operations?
A BDO spokesperson said that none of the subsidiary companies had been placed into administration and that they were continuing to operate with support from senior management.
BDO also said the joint administrators had secured funding lines to support continued trading.
The firm said suppliers would continue to be paid as normal, helping to maintain the supply chain required for the pharmacies to continue serving customers.
BDO’s stated intention is to implement a strategy to sell the pharmacies as going concerns. Interested parties have been invited to register their interest with the joint administrators.
The approach allows the administrators to explore a sale while preserving the businesses’ trading operations rather than immediately shutting the outlets.
For employees and customers, this means the administration process does not, on the information currently available, amount to an immediate closure programme.
Who are the administrators handling the process?
The administration is being handled by BDO, with James Stephen, Danny Dartnaill and Benjamin Peterson appointed as joint administrators.
Their role includes overseeing the companies during the administration process, maintaining trading where possible and examining options for the future ownership of the pharmacy businesses.
The administrators are also responsible for pursuing the proposed sale process.
Their stated objective of selling the pharmacies as going concerns means potential purchasers are being sought for operating businesses rather than simply assets associated with closed shops.
The eventual outcome will depend on the level of interest from prospective buyers, the terms offered and the administrators’ assessment of the businesses and their underlying financial position.
What does Companies House show about Scotpharm?
Companies House records provide additional confirmation of the corporate position.
Scotpharm (MNA) Limited, company number SC567980, was incorporated in June 2017 and has a registered office in Lenzie, Scotland. Its stated business activity is dispensing chemists in specialised stores.
The company’s filing history records the group’s accounts for the period ended 30 October 2024, as well as later corporate filings.
A filing recorded in September 2026 relates to the appointment of an administrator, confirming the formal administration process.
The Companies House record also shows that Scotpharm had previously registered charges in December 2025, while its most recent available accounts before the administration covered the period to October 2024.
These filings provide the formal corporate background to the administration reported by The Herald.
What does Companies House show about MSLNA Healthcare?
MSLNA Healthcare Limited, company number SC789105, was incorporated in November 2023.
The company is the holding company for LP North Sixteen Limited and LP North Eighteen Limited, which together operate the additional 10 pharmacies associated with the MSLNA structure.
Companies House records show that an administrator appointment was filed for MSLNA in September 2026.
The company’s filing history also records accounts made up to October 2024 and a series of charges registered in December 2025.
The formal records reinforce the distinction between the holding companies entering administration and the subsidiary businesses that continue operating the pharmacies.
Why are the pharmacies continuing to trade?
The continuation of trading is central to the administration strategy.
A pharmacy business that continues to operate retains its customers, staff, supplier relationships and day-to-day revenue-generating activity. That can make the business more attractive to potential purchasers than an operation whose branches have already closed.
In this case, BDO has said that funding lines have been secured to support continued trading.
The administrators have also said suppliers will continue to be paid normally. This is significant because pharmacies rely on ongoing relationships with suppliers to maintain their operations and provide medicines and related services.
The decision to maintain normal trading also gives BDO time to identify interested purchasers.
The proposed sale is therefore being conducted while the pharmacy businesses remain operational.
What services are provided by the wider pharmacy group?
In addition to its pharmacy outlets, the wider group operates two prescription collection units.
The services include prescription locker collections and a free medicine pouching service.
Prescription collection services can provide an alternative way for patients to obtain medicines, while medicine pouching services are designed to assist with the organisation of medication.
The continued operation of these services forms part of the wider picture surrounding the administration because the businesses are continuing to provide services while the administrators seek a sale.
How does the administration compare with the earlier Amiry & Gilbride case?
The latest administration follows an earlier development involving another Scottish pharmacy holding company.
Amiry & Gilbride Healthcare Limited (AGH) entered administration in April 2026. Companies House records show the appointment of administrators on 29 April 2026, with the formal Gazette notice published in May.
AGH was the holding company for LP North 14 Limited and LP North 15 Limited, which operated 13 pharmacies and two prescription collection and health-and-beauty units according to reporting surrounding the administration.
The Gazette records James Stephen, Kerry Bailey and David Wallis of BDO as the administrators appointed to Amiry & Gilbride Healthcare Limited.
As with the latest Scotpharm and MSLNA situation, the administration concerned the holding company rather than automatically placing the operating pharmacy subsidiaries into administration.
The earlier case therefore provides a relevant comparison in terms of corporate structure and the use of administration while pharmacy operations continue.
What were the financial circumstances of Amiry & Gilbride?
The earlier Amiry & Gilbride administration also involved financial pressures.
Accounts for the period ended 31 July 2024 showed turnover of about £13.4 million, while the business recorded an operating loss of close to £2.2 million and net liabilities of approximately £2.2 million.
The company had been incorporated in February 2023 following the merger of two established multiple pharmacy operators.
The administration process subsequently involved a proposed marketing exercise for the group.
The comparison is relevant because both cases involve pharmacy businesses where the holding company has entered administration while the patient-facing pharmacy operations continue.
However, the financial circumstances of the two businesses should not be treated as identical, and the available accounts relate to different reporting periods.
What are the latest insolvency figures for Scotland?
The administration comes against a wider backdrop of company insolvencies in Scotland.
According to the UK Government’s Company Insolvency Statistics for July 2026, there were 83 company insolvencies registered in Scotland during July.
That represented a 28% decrease compared with July 2025.
The 83 insolvencies consisted of 46 creditors’ voluntary liquidations, 31 compulsory liquidations and six administrations. There were no company voluntary arrangements or receivership appointments recorded for Scotland during the month.
The figures are based on the registration date at Companies House and are produced using information covering different forms of company insolvency.
The statistics therefore provide wider context for the pharmacy administration but do not establish a specific cause for the Scotpharm or MSLNA situation.
What happened to company insolvencies in England?
The figures reported alongside the Scottish data also provide a comparison with England.
The July statistics showed 1,931 company insolvencies in England, compared with 1,847 in June, representing a 5% increase from the previous month.
However, the number was also reported as 5% lower than the same period a year earlier.
The Scottish and English figures measure company insolvency registrations within their respective jurisdictions, and the differences should therefore be considered in the context of the separate insolvency systems and the different scale of the two business populations.
The data does not indicate that the pharmacy administration itself was caused by wider national insolvency trends.
What happens next for the 22 pharmacies?
The immediate next stage is the search for potential purchasers.
BDO has said that it intends to sell the pharmacies as going concerns and has invited interested parties to register their interest with the joint administrators.
At present, no purchaser has been identified publicly in the reporting available for this administration.
The fact that the pharmacy operating subsidiaries remain outside administration allows them to continue trading while the process takes place.
The future ownership of the pharmacies will depend on the outcome of the sales process and any agreements reached between the administrators and prospective buyers.
For employees, suppliers and customers, the key distinction remains that Scotpharm (MNA) Limited and MSLNA Healthcare Limited are the companies in administration, while the subsidiary businesses operating the pharmacies are continuing to trade.
As reported by The Herald, and supported by the statement attributed to BDO, the administrators have secured funding for continued trading and are now seeking buyers for the pharmacy businesses.
The development also highlights the importance of effective financial oversight, operational continuity and restructuring processes within healthcare businesses. For organisations managing regulated, customer-facing operations, training in Management, Legal, Contracts and Procurement, Healthcare Management, Accounting, Finance and Budgeting and Project Management can provide relevant professional knowledge around organisational governance, commercial decision-making, financial controls and business continuity.
The administration process remains ongoing, and further information is expected to emerge as BDO progresses its marketing strategy and potential purchasers consider the pharmacy businesses.