The top five retail pharmacy chains on the local market- Catena, Sensiblu, Dona, Help Net and Ropharma, posted about 4.8 billion lei (a little more than EUR1 billion) revenue together last year, according to ZF calculations.
Market leader Catena is the only one that did not reveal is 2015 financial results, but ZF estimates its revenue to have exceeded RON1.5 billion. Catena is the retail business of the Fildas group of entrepreneur Anca Vlad and ended 2015 with more than 550 pharmacies, up from 500 at the beginning of the year. Expansion plans will continue, the entrepreneur told ZF early this year.
Second leading pharmacy chain, Sensiblu, part of the A&D Pharma group, has more than 400 pharmacies and posted almost RON1.2 billion sales in 2015, about the same as the previous year, while profit reached RON31 million, according to Finance Ministry data. The results include only the Sensiblu pharmacies, but the owners of the chain decided to enter low-price pharmaceutical retail, as well, and opened a new chain under the Punkt brand, which includes new pharmacies and converted Sensiblus.
To consolidate their position, Sensiblu owners made an offer to buy 78 Reteta pharmacies from the Polisano group, a deal put at EUR20 million.
Number three on the market, Dona, held by entrepreneur Eugen Banciu, ended last year with RON889 million sales, up from the RON787 million of 2014, the company officials said. It budgeted 24% growth to RON1.1 billion in 2016.
Number four, Help Net, held by Ovidiu Buluc, posted RON470 million sales in 2015, an increase on the RON389 million of 2014. The fifth leading pharmaceutical retail chain, too, saw higher revenue, RON439 million compared with RON420 million, according to the data available.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)