Podorozhnik pharmacy chain plans to expand its network to 2000 pharmacies by summer 2024, CEO of the chain Taras Kolyada said.
“Currently we have 1763 pharmacies. In 2023 we have reached 400 new pharmacies. By the summer of 2024 we will grow to 2,000 pharmacies,” he said in an interview with Forbes.
Kolyada said that the network is currently expanding at a fairly active pace: “In 2019 we opened 486 pharmacies, now 400 pharmacies per year is a habitual rhythm for us.”
At the same time, he noted that “we usually have 150 outlets in back closer – somewhere we are doing repairs and looking for people, somewhere we are signing a contract or waiting for the lease from the previous owner of the premises to expire.”
“Landlords see pharmacy as a stable business and are willing to cooperate. We are building coverage of the country. For us, the key is to penetrate the regions, small towns from Chop to Seredina Buda, from Reni to the north of Chernihiv region,” he said.
In addition, Kolyada said that in 2023, in all channels sales of “Podorozhnik” increased by 40-50% in relation to the data of 2022.
At the same time, Kolyada predicts that in general in Ukraine “the trend for network expansion remains, but the market redistribution will be in favor of system operators”.
According to Kolyada, the average investment in opening a pharmacy is up to UAH 3.5 mln.
