Romanian pharmacy chain Sensiblu, the second-largest player in the country, controlled by Czech-Slovak group Penta Investments, received the permit from the competition body to take over smaller rival Optifarm.

The target company, owned in equal shares by local entrepreneurs Bogdan and Cristian Vodislav, operates 23 stores in Gorj county, Hunedoara county and in Bucharest. Out of them, 19 are in urban areas and 4 in rural areas.

Its turnover rose to RON 66.2 mln (EUR 13.6 mln) last year, 35% more than in 2019, while its profit surged by 84% to RON 4.8 mln (nearly EUR 1 mln).

Sensiblu, which rebranded a large part of pharmacies under the name of Dr. Max, reached a turnover of over RON 1.9 bln (EUR 390 mln) in 2020, increasing by 6% compared to the previous year, according to Ziarul Financiar daily calculations.

In 2020, Sensiblu had 710 pharmacies, 10 units less than the previous year. Sensiblu's main competitors are Ropharma, Catena, Dona and Help Net.

(Photo: Serhii Bobyk Dreamstime)

andrei@romania-insider.com