Clicks has opened 11 new pharmacies since November, the goal being 40 to 50 new locations during this financial year, the group said this week.
The expansion follows the resolving of regulatory challenges that hampered its growth last year, when licensing delays and a legal dispute temporarily stalled pharmacy openings, reports Business Day.
That came after a Constitutional Court judgment finding that the company’s ownership of both pharmacies and Unicorn Pharmaceuticals contravened the Pharmacy Act, which prohibits businesses from owning both retail pharmacies and medicine manufacturing plants.
However, after Clicks sold Unicorn, the Department of Health resumed issuing pharmacy licences to the group, which has since been granted 27 new licences.
Clicks is also expected to grow its specialised pharmacy brand, UniHealth, this year, with plans to open 10 advanced 24-hour pharmacies with travel clinics. In the 20 weeks to end-12 January 2024, the retailer posted an 8.1% increase in group turnover to R18.2bn.
The group’s retail sales, which include Clicks, The Body Shop and Sorbet corporate stores, rose 8.7%, driven by higher sales of private-label products, strong Black Friday promotions and increased consumer demand for front-shop health and pharmacy products.
Business Day PressReader article – Clicks secures 27 licences, boosts growth (Open access)
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