Tesco pharmacies expand range of complementary medicines
Tesco is to sell an expanded range of complementary
medicines and herbal products through its 210 instore pharmacies. It will
also be providing an enhanced range of products by mail order and internet
shopping.
Tesco has spent £2.9m to acquire a majority share
in Nutri Centre, a specialist mail order and retail business founded by
pharmacist Rohit Mehta.
Tim Mason, Tesco’s marketing director, said on 7
August that the company saw complementary medicines as one of the most
significant growth areas for the next few years. As part of a strategy
to expand Tesco’s non-food business, it was always attempting to “follow
the money”.
Tesco had decided to form an alliance with Nutri
Centre because it felt that it did not have the skills or experience to
go it alone, Mr Mason said.
The Nutri Centre story before Tesco’s interest
Rohit Mehta qualified as a pharmacist
in 1976 and established a chain of pharmacies in the Sloane Square
and Baker Street areas of central London, since sold. He then set
up a health food store in Sloane Square and this led to a growing
interest in complementary medicines. In 1991 he established the
Nutri Centre at the Hale complementary medicine clinic at Park Crescent,
London. The clinic currently has over 100 alternative practitioners
offering sessions each week.
Mr Mehta said the aim of Nutri Centre was initially
to integrate the fragmented supply chain for complementary medicines.
Each manufacturer had its own mail order business, making it difficult
for customers to obtain a range of products. The business developed
as a team of pharmacists and nutritionists was hired to provide
professional backup and information for customers. Subsequently
a bookshop and library, with over 20,000 reference sources, was
established and a database of information built up.
Nutri Centre was recently awarded a grant of £200,000
by the Department of Trade and Industry for a two-year project to
develop a reporting structure for adverse drug interactions involving
either herbal or nutritional products alone or with conventional
medicines.
|
A selection of 85 Nutri Centre products from three
ranges will be available in 50 Tesco in-store pharmacies immediately.
The range will be rolled out to the other 160 Tesco pharmacies by October,
and customers will be able to pick up a free 32-page natural health guide.
Mr Mason compared this to Tesco’s healthy eating guide, initially published
in 1985, over 7m copies of which have been given out.
A mail order catalogue with a limited range of products
is also available. Tesco intends to integrate its full range of over 22,000
products into its internet shopping service Tesco.com. Internet ordering
points for complementary medicines are to be set up in the pharmacies.
Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy assistants are to
receive additional training on complementary medicines. This will include
an introductory module, a modular training workbook and regional training
sessions. Mr Mason said that Tesco’s pharmacists would be pivotal to the
introduction and development of the new complementary medicines service.
Back to Top
|
