SIC 47.73 · 47.74 · 47.78
Community pharmacies, opticians and optometrist practices, hearing aid retailers, orthopaedic and mobility shops: for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, wholesalers and software vendors who want to reach these specialist businesses by post.
Our UK dataset holds 2 676 396 records (as at 4 listopada 2026); they are not yet assigned to industries. The quote states the size available for this industry.
Export of the whole industry: £309 (full price). Selections by nation, postcode area or your own filters are quoted on request.
Official statistics: 8395 businesses in the UK according to ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026 (enterprises in March 2026, published 24 September 2026). Partial coverage of the industry: classes 47.73 dispensing chemists in specialised stores (6,550) and 47.74 retail sale of medical and orthopaedic goods (1,845) combined. Opticians are not included: UK SIC 2007 has a subclass 47.78/2 retail sale by opticians, but the ONS only publishes the whole class 47.78 (17,455). This is the size of the market, not the size of our dataset.
The industry brings together classes 47.73 (dispensing chemist in specialised stores) and 47.74 (medical and orthopaedic goods) of UK SIC 2007. The UK adds five-digit subclasses: 47.74/1 for hearing aids and, within class 47.78, 47.78/2 retail sale by opticians.
The ONS publishes counts only by class, so the official figure covers pharmacies and medical goods retailers; opticians are counted in class 47.78 with other specialist shops. Eye clinics are in health (86.90), not retail.
| UK SIC 2007 | Official title | For your selection |
|---|---|---|
| 47.73 | Dispensing chemist in specialised stores | community pharmacies |
| 47.74/1 | Retail sale of hearing aids in specialised stores | hearing aid retailers |
| 47.74/9 | Retail sale of medical and orthopaedic goods (other than hearing aids) nec, in specialised stores | orthopaedic appliances, mobility chairs |
| 47.78/2 | Retail sale by opticians | opticians, dispensing opticians and optometrists |
Each part of the industry has its own statutory register, built for checking who is registered.
These 15 columns are included.
For pharmacies 47.73 is unambiguous, for hearing care 47.74/1. Opticians can only be separated through subclass 47.78/2, and because the company chooses its SIC code, some file under another one. Ask for keyword matching too if completeness matters.
Many pharmacies and opticians belong to chains or buying groups. Chain membership is not a column, and branches of large chains are not guaranteed as separate records.
A pharmacy or practice run as a limited company is a corporate subscriber under PECR reg. 2: marketing emails need no prior consent if you identify yourself and offer an opt-out. A sole-trader pharmacist counts as an individual and needs consent or a soft opt-in (reg. 22(3)). Screen phone numbers against the TPS and Corporate TPS.
Example request: we distribute compression hosiery and are looking for pharmacies (SIC 47.73) and orthopaedic goods retailers (47.74/9) in London, the South East and Scotland with a complete address, for a postal mailing with a sample pack. How many records is that?
Use cases
Pharmacies and medical goods retailers in a nation for product information.
Opticians and hearing aid retailers as customers.
Market size of specialist businesses per region.
Pharmacies and practices as employers in a region.
Questions
Yes, where our sources list them. The GPhC premises register covers Great Britain only. In the export, the nation is assigned by postcode, or by the region code in the map data where a record has no postcode; records with neither are left without a nation.
Yes, through subclass 47.78/2 where the five-digit code is known. Opticians filed under another code can be added by business type and keyword; the quote says how precise the selection is.
To pharmacies run by companies, yes, if you name yourself and offer an opt-out; sole-trader pharmacists need consent or a soft opt-in. Addresses naming a pharmacist are personal data under UK GDPR. Details: PECR rules for B2B email and calls.
8395 businesses in the UK according to ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026 (enterprises in March 2026, published 24 September 2026). Partial coverage of the industry: classes 47.73 dispensing chemists in specialised stores (6,550) and 47.74 retail sale of medical and orthopaedic goods (1,845) combined. Opticians are not included: UK SIC 2007 has a subclass 47.78/2 retail sale by opticians, but the ONS only publishes the whole class 47.78 (17,455). This is a figure from official statistics, not the size of our dataset.
Format, sources, price and marketing law (PECR, TPS screening): questions about all industries.
