UniChem says it will maintain twice-daily pharmacy deliveries
UniChem sees no need to drop its commitment to twice-daily deliveries to its community pharmacy customers unless major changes in the market require it to do so.
David Coles: twice-daily service is driven by customer requirements |
David Coles, recently appointed managing director of UniChem, told The
Journal last week that he had queried the high level of service offered
to pharmacies. Mr Coles was formerly UK managing director of the logistics
group DHL.
“The level of service is important in this market,” Mr Coles
said. “This
is a customer-driven requirement. Pharmacists want this in order to offer
the necessary level of service to their customers. Even if there was
greater consolidation in the pharmacy market, good service and thus twice-daily
deliveries would be just as, if not more, important.”
Mr Coles said that he foresees pharmacy wholesalers continuing to adapt
to the changing market, with some developments likely in centralised
dispensing and mail order services. However, he does not expect major
changes unless the pharmacy market itself changes, perhaps as a result
of the new contract and
alterations to control of entry.
UniChem is increasing investment at its 10 wholesale depots and is updating
IT and building extra capacity at them. “We are a good solid business,
but there must be no complacency. We can always get better by listening
to our customers,” Mr Coles said. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal