An online pharmacy based in Preston has served almost one million customers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

AYP Healthcare, which is based near Preston city centre, has grown rapidly since it was started four years ago by Deepdale man Zaakir Badat.

Zaakir, who began his career working in telesales for a local pharmacy, started his own business in 2017 after moving to London.

Zaakir said: “At the time, the pharmacy focused on providing NHS prescription medicine to care homes in the London area. 

“I quickly realised that the shift towards online is something we should focus on.

“In February 2018 we started selling online on Amazon and eBay, and 18 months later we moved our online operations to Preston.”

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The pandemic led Zaakir to launch his own website sooner than originally planned.

“We brought forward the timeline of starting our own website so that we could help customers access pharmacy medicines through the Covid-19 lockdowns.

“Many customers who we served throughout this period mentioned their appreciation, as they were suffering from underlying illnesses, therefore could not leave home.”

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The success of the business meant that AYP Healthcare moved to a new 11,000 sq ft premises solely for online operations in December 2020.

Zaakir said: “We are now aiming to move towards fully automated solutions at our Preston site. This will allow us to provide an increased capacity and target more customers in the future.”

Proud Preston. This, and many stories like it, show how the people of Preston are making a difference. Our Proud Preston section showcases all the charitable, kind, uplifting and great things about our city and the people who live here. #ProudPreston is alive and well, and there’s much to celebrate and be proud of, despite the challenging times we all face.

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What do you think of Zaakir’s achievements with AYP Healthcare? Let us know in the comments.