Alliance Unichem Plc has unveiled plans to expand its retail pharmacy presence in Europe, including acquiring pharmacy chains in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Mr Barry Andrews (retail director, Alliance Unichem) told The Journal on October 25 that the company had set up a separate management group, provisionally entitled Alliance Unichem Retail International, mainly staffed by former Moss employees. This would be a "nursery" to aid the development of new managed or virtual chains in Europe until local management was able to take over the businesses.
Looking at the regulatory environment in Europe, Mr Andrews said that the most deregulated countries, outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, were the Netherlands and Switzerland. Alliance Unichem wanted to develop chains of over 200 pharmacies each in these two countries. Mr Andrews said that some small chains had already been formed there and the company would be looking to buy pharmacies or chains in partnership with local wholesale or retail companies.
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Barry Andrews: we will buy pharmacy chains
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In Italy, Alliance Unichem wanted to continue acquiring or franchising pharmacies from municipal councils, although the rules governing this had recently been tightened.
In Scandinavia, a programme of deregulation and privatisation was expected to occur over the next few years as governments sought to introduce consumerism and competition into health care provision. Mr Andrews said that Alliance Unichem was "looking keenly" at these markets.
