Romanian pharmacies post record sales in 2019 amid consolidation trend

Romanian pharmacies posted in 2019 the best results ever, according to estimates of the consulting company Frames.

The businesses of the over 4,000 companies active in the sector of drug trade exceeded the RON 20 bln (EUR 4.2 bln) threshold in 2019, recording a 5% increase compared to 2018. The growth will accelerate to 10% and push the overall turnover up to RON 22 bln in 2020, Frames estimates, News.ro reported.

Compared to 2010, the business in this sector has doubled, the cumulative turnover of the companies having increased from RON 9.75 bln to RON 19.05 bln in 2018 and over RON 20 bln in 2019, while the net profit advanced from RON 505 mln in 2010 to RON 812 mln in 2018 (no aggregated data available for 2019 yet).

“The last two years were marked by the consolidation of the pharmacy market in Romania. The big players have significantly expanded their networks, with Sensiblu, Dona, Help Net and Catena in the foreground. The small pharmacies, with businesses up to RON 100,000, lost ground, accounting for only a quarter of the market, compared to 60% in 2010," the Frames analysis shows.

The Romanian pharmacy market is one of the most solid businesses, judging from the financial situation, the consulting company estimates. The financial data also show that over 60% of companies have a low and very low business risk, judging by their debts and losses. Only 4% of companies present a major risk.

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