The business started in 2001 has now reached almost every district of Bucharest, where it competes with companies that entered the market before it and have large networks like Sensiblu, Catena, Dona and HelpNet.
“We have opened 57 pharmacies in Bucharest only since 2001, and are constantly expanding. We are considering the opening of 17 more pharmacies by the end of 2012,” company officials said. “We are now focusing on Bucharest so that we will only stay in this city this year. If there are any pharmacies by the same name somewhere else in the country, it’s a mere coincidence.”
The expansion of Belladonna comes at a time of fierce competition among pharmacy chains, which according to a ZF survey, had reached 1,000 pharmacies in mid 2011. According to Romania’s statistical yearbook for 2009, there were 6,500 retail pharmacies on the domestic market that year.
In the first six months of last year, the five largest chains on the local market, Sensiblu, Catena, Dona, Ropharma and Help Net added about 100 pharmacies.
Another explanation for the expansion battle may be the change of the pharmacy law expected for next year, which will remove the cap on the number of pharmacies per number of inhabitants that may be opened.
Belladonna’s sales reached EUR50 million at the end of last year, according to the information provided by the company.
(English version by Loredana Frățilă-Cristescu)