Lloydspharmacy will roll out its new store design to 70 UK shops, as its parent company reveals a drop in first-quarter earnings.

Lloydspharmacy owner Celesio said the UK market – the most important for the company – showed a “positive operational development” in the first quarter to December 2012, driven by the new group structure and operational excellence programme.

But it said Government measures regarding prescription payments and a weak British pound had a “negative effect” on Lloydspharmacy’s earnings growth.

Last year, Lloydspharmacy trialled a new store design in two shops, focusing on pain and skin medication. It is now set to roll the design out across the country.

UK managing director Cormac Tobin told Retail Week that Lloydspharmacy has now introduced click-and-collect in some stores and will be driving a more digitally-led strategy going forward.

It restructured its management team this year as it appointed Cormac Tobin as UK managing director, replacing Mark James. He is the retailer’s fourth managing director since 2010.

Celesio revealed group adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was down 10.4% to €126.6m. Group sales declined 5% to €5.3m. Celesio chief executive Markus Pinger said the group anticipates second-quarter performance will improve.

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