Context
Cohens Chemist is one of the UK's leading community and online pharmacies, established in 1980 and operating over 200 branches nationwide. The group provides expert care to more than 450,000 patients and processes over one million prescriptions, offering both a strong community presence and a digital healthcare platform that gives patients direct access to managing their repeat prescriptions, GP appointments, and medical history.
Initially appointed to install fire extinguishers on new sites and maintain them across all existing branches, the relationship with Parr has grown steadily since 2010 and now encompasses the full range of fire safety compliance services across all sites nationwide.
Challenge
Managing fire safety compliance across a nationwide network of over 200 operational pharmacy branches presents a logistical and commercial challenge that demands both discipline and flexibility:
Cost-effective compliance across a large, dispersed estate: Cohens needed a provider who could deliver consistent, compliant fire safety servicing and installation across all sites at a cost that made commercial sense, with a clear, manageable programme rather than an ad hoc arrangement that left compliance gaps.
Seamless onboarding and ongoing compliance assurance: The client wanted a partner who could take full ownership of the compliance calendar, removing the burden on the Cohens team of tracking service due dates and ensuring nothing lapsed.
Supporting a growing estate: As Cohens opened new branches, Parr needed to move quickly - installing fire extinguishers and setting up systems at new sites without disrupting the ongoing servicing programme across existing locations.
Solution
Parr Fire, part of Complii, built a structured, technology-supported compliance programme, giving the client full confidence that every site was covered, every service was on time, and every issue was tracked through to resolution:
Nationwide servicing and installation across all four service lines: Parr delivers fire extinguisher servicing and installation, fire alarm servicing and installation, emergency lighting servicing, and supply of safety signage across all 200-plus Cohens sites - providing the group with a single, consistent provider for their full fire safety compliance needs.
Proactive compliance management through Uptick: All services are managed through the Uptick platform, which automatically alerts the team when any job is due across the estate. This ensures every site stays within its required compliance window without the client needing to track or chase anything - a futureproof system that takes the compliance burden entirely off the Cohens team.
Certificates and documentation delivered digitally: On completion of each service, certificates are sent directly to the client via the Uptick portal, where the Cohens Facilities Manager can access all documentation at any time. Any remedial issues identified on site are quoted for through the same system and followed up proactively if not accepted.
Consistency of engineers across the estate: While Parr operates without a rigid site-assignment model, the team actively tries to send engineers who have previously attended each location - building familiarity with individual sites and maintaining continuity of service across a large, varied estate.
DBS-vetted engineers and staff safeguarding: All engineers are DBS vetted and have completed safeguarding training - an important consideration given that Cohens branches serve vulnerable patients and members of the public every day.
Staff education at every visit: When attending sites, Parr engineers take the time to ensure pharmacy staff understand the systems in place and know how to carry out their own weekly and monthly checks correctly - keeping sites compliant between service visits and building a genuinely informed client team.
Results
Parr has held the Cohens Chemist contract since 2010 - a long-term relationship built on reliability, cost-effectiveness, and a proactive approach to compliance that has removed the burden from the client entirely:
Full compliance maintained across 200-plus sites nationwide: Every Cohens branch across the UK remains within its required compliance window for fire extinguishers, fire alarms, emergency lighting, and safety signage
Cost savings delivered through intelligent scheduling: By sequencing services geographically, Parr has consistently delivered cost savings for the client without compromising the compliance programme.
A seamless, low-burden compliance experience: Cohens' Facilities Manager has full visibility of compliance status at any time through the client portal, with certificates available on demand and remedials tracked automatically.