Pharmacist twin sisters Ann and Deirdre Butler from Ballina have bought a business from another family of pharmacists which has been in existence for almost 70 years. They have bought two pharmacies from the Higgins family located on Teeling Street and Market Cross in Sligo town.
The Higgins siblings - Ken, Ann Christine and Stella - will retire as pharmacists from the company, which their father established in 1948, and hand over the keys to Ann and Deirdre. However, Ken will remain on as a consultant with the new family owners for the next six months.
Ann and Deirdre had always wanted to own a pharmacy business together so when the opportunity to buy the Higgins' pharmacies came up, the sisters were thrilled. “We could not believe it when we discovered such a well-respected family business had come up for sale. It was a perfect fit for us,” said Ann. “We are very proud to continue from a family with such a history in Sligo and the fact that Ken is remaining on with us is fantastic. We are extremely grateful to the Higgins family to have been given this opportunity.”
Deirdre said: “We want the pharmacies to remain patient-focused and we want to emulate the way the Higgins family look after their customers. It’s ideal that there are two pharmacies as it gives us an opportunity to expand the product base, especially at Market Cross, and introduce some new, exciting lines.”
Customers might do a double-take when they are visiting the stores, as Deirdre will be based at Market Cross and identical twin Ann at Teeling Street. It was extremely important to Ken and his sisters that the company would remain family-run, and they are delighted with the new owners.
“When looking for a buyer, we didn’t want the business to be bought by a multiple, we wanted it to remain family-run and we wanted the staff to keep their jobs,” said Ken, who is 30 years in the family business." Deirdre and Ann are daughters of Maura and Paddy Butler. When they were younger, the girls were very aware of pharmacy as a career as their mother was a business development manager for United Drug. Ann’s first job as a teenager was in a pharmacy in Ballina, where Deirdre still lives.
Both completed a four-year degree in pharmacy at the University of Brighton and have worked in various local pharmacies before coming together to buy the new business. The girls have two older brothers. Derek is a sergeant in the gardaí, based in Sligo, and Stephen is also a pharmaceutical chemist in Abbvie in Sligo.
