Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 113

LOCAL BUSINESS

life

Photos supplied by
Gibbs & Gurnell

An elegant balance
of old and new
On the 1st November 2007 Ryde’s oldest
pharmacy (the earliest records at the
pharmacy date back to 1836) changed hands
for the first time in over 30 years. One year
on, we discover what’s been happening at
Gibbs & Gurnell
‘‘When I came to the island, I was very clear
about what I wanted to achieve in the first
year. My first task was harder than you’d
think – to sit back and watch for a couple
of months,” says Anne Loh, pharmacist at
Ryde’s oldest pharmacy, Gibbs & Gurnell.
The shop, with its elegant mahogany
fittings and huge medicine jars, carries a
special air of tradition. Anne therefore
felt that, before she made any changes,
she needed to ease herself into the local
community and find out who her customers
were and what they wanted. “After all,”
she says, “the business had been running
successfully for 170 years!”
Although her loyal staff had between
them been working at the pharmacy for
over 20 years, there hadn’t been a regular
pharmacist there for some time, so the
first benefit Anne was able to offer her

customers was a consistent service.
She took a long look at what had made
the shop so successful for such a long time.
“Historically it stocked a large selection of
fragrances, bath and gift items, so rather
than trying to stock a little of everything like
most community pharmacies I focussed on
a comprehensive range of over the counter
medicines, high quality vitamin supplements
and herbal remedies,” she explains. “And
I really wanted to develop the range of
fragrances.”
The shop began to take shape. A lot of old
display equipment was removed to make
more space so customers could browse, or
consult the staff about some of the products
they might not have seen before.
Behind the scenes a well appointed
consultation room has been created. Here,
Anne offers a wide range of services such
as smoking cessation, blood pressure and
cholesterol monitoring. She screens for
diabetes, offers a weight loss programme
and reviews medicine use. The consultation
room also provides privacy when needed:
“Often in the past, people may have gone

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to the doctor with problems which could
easily be treated by their pharmacist, simply
because they had nowhere private to discuss
sensitive matters.”
Many new customers have now handed
over the ordering of their prescription
medication to Anne and her team. The Gibbs
& Gurnell delivery van has become a familiar
sight as it delivers medication to customers
at home and work in and around Ryde.
Anne has certainly gone to town on her
selection of fragrances. “They’re attracting
customers from all over the Island,” she says.
“You’d probably have to visit one of the
department stores on the mainland to find a
comparable range.”
The increase in business during the first
year has exceeded all expectations, and
Anne is quick to give credit to her team of
dedicated, well trained and experienced
staff. Her sensible “if it ain’t broke don’t
fix it“approach seems to be paying off. “I
added a fresh eye, and we’ve maintained a
good old-fashioned service,” she smiles. “I
think we’ve got the ba