“Farmexpert’s business is mainly focused on independent pharmacies. Regional chains, operating in one or two counties, have emerged and they are stronger locally than national chains. They have grown stronger in time and we call them independent as they are not owned by any wholesaler. We are highly interested in supporting this market of independent pharmacies, and the commercial terms we provide help them very much to compete from equal positions with chain pharmacies,” Trandafir told ZF.
Farmexpert is the only large wholesaler in Romania that does not own a pharmacy chain. The business posts annual revenue of above RON2.5 billion and is owned by Walgreen Boots Alliance, an entity born in December 2014.
Iulian Trandafir specifies Farmexpert does not plan to buy pharmacies in Romania and that the wholesaler is carrying out several programs aimed at independent pharmacies. The most visible one is Vivat.
“We have been developing the Vivat program for two years, offering independent pharmacies a package of products under much better conditions. We are speaking of 800 pharmacies that are included in the program and it’s like having 800 pharmacies in a chain,” specified Trandafir.
There are 7,000 pharmacies in Romania, with major chains operating around 2,000 units. Leaving out 1,000 pharmacies of rural areas, there are around 4,000 independent pharmacies left in cities for wholesalers to battle over.
For the financial year ending in March 31, 2015, Farmexpert expects revenue to rise by 15% on the year.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)