A&D Pharma, a EUR1.3 billion business comprising several companies the best-known of which is retail pharmacy chain Sensiblu, is held by Walid Abboud, Roger Akoury, Ludovic Robert and Michel Eid. It is the leader of the pharmaceutical wholesale market with its Mediplus Exim company and the second leading actor on the pharmaceutical retail market with its Sensiblu network.
The four owners are negotiating the sale of the wholesale and retail operations to Penta Investments, market sources say. Penta had previously negotiated the takeover of A&D Pharma more than five years ago, but the deal fell through. Now it has reached an advanced stage of negotiations, the market sources say, adding the deal should amount to EUR300 million to EUR400 million. This would put it among the biggest this year.
ZF’s yearbook on most valuable companies in Romania valued Mediplus Exim at EUR299 million in 2016, up 42% on the previous year. Sensiblu was valued at EUR163 million and made the top 100 for the first time. The 2016 ranking was compiled based on 2015 financial data.
Penta Investments arrived in Romania via Dr. Max pharmaceutical group this summer, when it bought the 31-pharmacy chain Farmaciile Arta and a pharmaceutical wholesaler. The seller in this deal put at EUR5 million to EUR10 million was a local entrepreneur family, Becheanu.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)