What can one say about a pharmacy? Its a place people go to cash in their prescriptions, open 9.00am to 6.30 Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm on Saturdays. Situated on the High Street at the corner of Pretoria Avenue, sharing the junction with the International Supermarket, otherwise known as the Turkish Shop. The Co-Op Pharmacy is a tidy, respectable business which has respectable regular customers who can join up for its membership scheme to receive massive discounts on useful items. These tempting offers are prominently displayed frmo time to time in the window to entice in customers who live in the surrounding streets, streets monitored continuously by a CCTV camera placed on a tall pole at the entrance to the High Street. As the sign on the entrance to the Pharmacy says, "If you can see this, we can see you".

For some of those who do not see the world as clearly as they might, another sign on the door at eye height informs them they can ask inside for details of the Waltham Forest Substance Abuse Services, or phone 0800 294 2422.

There is another dispensing chemist at the top of the High Street called D.P. Mark.

What more can I say about a co-operative pharmacy? Well, for a start, this particular one is part of The Co-operative Group, is a United Kingdom consumers' co-operative, and one of the world's largest consumer-owned businesses.

The Co-operative Group is a family of businesses; it is not controlled by shareholders or financial investors solely for the pursuit of profit. Each of the members has an equal right to a say in how the business is run and how its social goals are achieved. The family of businesses comprise: food, travel, banking, insurance, pharmacy, funeral, legal services, investments, online shop, electrical and beds. The Co-op also has a funeral business in Walthamstow called the Co-op Funeralcare at 277 Hoe Street (Tel: 020 8520 5454)

Membership of the Co-op is open to everyone as long as they share the Group's values and principles. Every year members receive a share of the profits that they helped to create, based on the amount made in profits that year and the how much they had spent with any of its businesses.

The Group announced in November 2008 that despite the economic downturn, half year profits had risen by 35.6% to £292.6 million for the six months to June 2008.

The shop at number 19 High Street was occupied by the 'London Penny Bazaar' until 1914 when it was bought by Marks and Spencer, who traded there until 1931.

[Updated 21 February 2009]