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The pharmacy chain Allied Pharmacies Ltd has completed the acquisition of another 68 Jhoots branches, taking the total it has purchased from the beleaguered company to 129 outlets.

In a statement issued by the public relations and communications company Chelgate Ltd on its behalf, Allied Pharmacies Ltd said it was focused on bringing all 129 pharmacies “back to full operational capacity as quickly as possible to safeguard patient care” after widespread reports of branches closing at short notice, not having a pharmacist on the premises and failing to pay staff.

Jhoots had 153 pharmacies in the UK before Allied acquired 61 of those last year, branches which were owned by Sarbjit Jhooty. His brother Manjit Jhooty, the director of Jhoots Healthcare Ltd and Pasab Ltd which operates 21 stores, said there was no connection between his branches and those taken over by Allied Pharmacies. Last month, Manjit Jhooty rebranded his pharmacies as JHL Pharmacy.

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association said some of its members were trying to recover over £925,000 collectively in outstanding locum fees from pharmacies run by Sarbjit Jhooty.

On Monday, Lloyds Bank submitted a high court application to appoint an administrator for Jhoots Chemist, trading as Jhoots Pharmacy. Allied Pharmacies, which now has 173 pharmacies in its UK portfolio, said it latest acquisition of Jhoots branches was “a significant step in strengthening access to essential healthcare services nationwide”.

“This expansion comes at a time when the sector continues to face structural challenges and we are committed to playing a stabilising role by investing in sustainable models of care,” Allied said.

It added: “(We) acknowledge former Jhoots employees for their commitment and resilience during this challenging time. We want to assure them that they will receive the same consideration and care as those supported during the earlier acquisition of pharmacies.”