Minimum starting capital
12 monthsPayback
from 20 square meters mSpace required
from 15%Profitability
Pharmacy business attracts the attention of many entrepreneurs. Its undoubted advantages include good profitability (although it is not as great as it seems to many), a constant demand for medicines, and relatively small costs for opening the simplest form of a pharmacy business. However, there were some minuses as well.
The greatest difficulties are associated with the execution of various permits and the passage for this of various authorities and inspections. To start a pharmacy business from scratch, you will need a lot of money, but, as the experience of other entrepreneurs shows, with a competent approach, you will quickly pay back your investments and will receive a stable and high profit.
What you need to open a pharmacy from scratch
First of all, you need to decide on the legal form that you choose for the pharmacy business. In order to open a pharmacy, it is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur. However, in this case, according to Art. 52 of the Federal Law No. 61 “On the Circulation of Medicines” dated April 12, 2010, your pharmacist with three years of experience must be in your state. His qualifications are confirmed by a diploma of higher education. If you plan to draw up documents (license) for yourself, then, therefore, you should have such an education. Otherwise, you will have to hire a manager with a diploma of a pharmacist.
You can also register a company as LLC, OJSC or ZAO and search for a pharmacist-pharmacist with the appropriate education and experience. The best option is when the pharmacist himself prepares the IP and the license in his name. This will help you avoid further problems if your partner, for example, decides to leave the business (and the license issued in his name will also disappear) or turn out to be an unscrupulous person.
In addition to the legal form, you will need to determine the type of pharmacy that you plan to open. According to the order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development “On the Approval of the Types of Pharmacy Organizations” of September 15, 2010, a pharmacy, pharmacy kiosk and pharmacy (shop) are distinguished. A pharmacy itself can be a production pharmacy (that is, it has the right to manufacture medicines), a manufacturing pharmacy in which aseptic medicines can be manufactured, and a pharmacy of finished dosage forms. Pharmacies of the first two types are registered in the tax service with the OKVED code 08/18/2019 “Production of medicines”.
When registering a pharmacy kiosk or point, the following OKVED codes are used, depending on the planned range of outlets: 52.3 “Retail sale of pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and perfumery goods”, 52.31 “Retail sale of pharmaceutical goods”, 52.32 “Retail sale of medical goods and orthopedic products ”, 52.33“ Retail sale of cosmetic and perfumery goods ”.
An ordinary pharmacy, a pharmacy kiosk and a point differ from each other in a set of basic functions and services, as well as medical and medicinal products authorized for sale, which is reflected in the Industry Standard.
The functions of the most attractive pharmacy form for entrepreneurs - a pharmacy - include:
- the sale of prescription and over-the-counter drugs (with the exception of potent psychotropic, narcotic and poisonous drugs);
sales of packaged medical products and raw materials;
the implementation of personal hygiene products and medical devices;
sale of medicines for free or at a discount for certain social groups;
packaging of drugs with subsequent implementation;
customer advice;
assistance in choosing the safest and most effective method of self-medication (if one exists in a particular case);
providing reliable information about the drugs sold and how to use them;
the provision of necessary first aid to the population.
In the case of the pharmacy kiosk, there are certain limitations: for example, you can’t sell prescription drugs in it. However, an ordinary pharmacy is presented with an order of magnitude more requirements than a pharmacy kiosk or point, so the latter are more attractive to businessmen who are just mastering the pharmacy segment.
It is widely believed (not only among entrepreneurs, but even among officials) that a pharmacy kiosk or point can only be opened by pharmacy or medical institutions. That is, for their registration, it is necessary to have either an already functioning “full-fledged” pharmacy, or a medical and preventive institution. In fact, this is not true. The normative acts in force at the time of writing of the article that regulate the procedure for carrying out pharmaceutical activities do not limit the possibility of opening a pharmacy or kiosk to any legal entity. The main thing is that the licensing requirements for pharmaceutical activities are met.
To open a pharmacy, you must obtain a license to carry out pharmaceutical activities. Paperwork will take about 45 days. This license, like a medical one, is issued for a period of five years. At the end of this period, the license will need to be renewed or, if any changes are made, renewed. In addition to obtaining a license, you will need to find a room that meets all the requirements of the SES and the Ministry of Emergencies, purchase the necessary equipment and inventory, find suppliers of products and hire qualified workers.
How to choose the best room for a pharmacy
The pharmacy should be located in a separate room, room or building with a separate entrance and access roads for loading / unloading products. In addition, engineering systems (heating, fire extinguishing, sewage and water supply) must be in the building where the pharmacy will be located.
If the pharmacy is located on the territory of the medical institution, its area should be at least 20 square meters. meters. If the point is opened in a non-medical building, then its area should not be less than 38 square meters. meters. The pharmacy room is divided into several zones: the product reception area, the shopping area, the storage area, the workplace of the pharmacist, the reception area of the population. It is necessary to take care of the obligatory trade equipment and inventory (cabinets, tables, racks, shelves, cabinets for clothes and shoes of personnel, cabinets, safes, refrigerators for storing medicines). Another expense item when opening a pharmacy is repair and decoration work in the room.
Of course, your expenses will not be limited to rental costs. The minimum cost of a finished pharmacy business is from 600 tons, depending on the region, form (pharmacy, kiosk, pharmacy), assortment, location and many other factors. For the rental of premises for a period of three months, repair, purchase of commercial equipment, purchase of goods, payment of labor of working personnel, a lot of funds will be required - from 800 t. It is worthwhile to prepare for the fact that the investment will not pay off as quickly as expected. The turnover of one small pharmacy retail outlet is about 100 tons. per month.
According to some sources, a private pharmacy brings in the autumn-winter period about 130-150 t. profit, network pharmacies, this figure is slightly higher - about 200 tons This average income is due to the fact that the prices of many (primarily the most popular) drugs are regulated by the state. So, for example, the maximum mark-up for the so-called essential medicines is 23-30%, depending on the region (with the exception of settlements in the far north), which is strictly controlled by the tariff commission. For this reason, prices in Russian pharmacies, regardless of whether it is a network pharmacy or an independent one, are approximately the same. However, this does not prevent pharmacies from choosing their format for work.
The most common pharmacy business model is the discounter. In this case, the cost of opening a pharmacy will be about 10-12 tons. per square meter (excluding rent and purchase of equipment). The premium pharmacy format with a wider assortment, a large number of consultants, a high level of service and, of course, higher prices is less common.
It makes sense to open such a pharmacy in certain areas of large cities where the income level of the population is above average. In this case, the initial cost will be 20-30 tons per square meter (also excluding rental costs and commercial equipment). The form of trading also needs to be decided in advance. The most common form is closed when goods are sold from behind the counter. In this case, you can do with a smaller area (about 50 sq. Meters) and save on additional shelving. Experts believe that the optimal ratio between the trade and the total area of the pharmacy is 80 and 20%, respectively.
Features of the purchase of goods for pharmacies and their accounting
Great attention needs to be paid to the assortment of your pharmacy. It must contain the most popular drugs, including domestic ones (they are cheaper than Western counterparts, so they are in great demand among buyers). In addition to conventional medicines, your pharmacy should also have the so-called parapharmaceutical products (products of an additional pharmacy assortment) - food additives, diet and baby food, skin and hair care products, personal hygiene products, herbal preparations, etc.
There are relatively few pharmaceutical distributors in any region. For obvious reasons, the most interesting for them is not only the newly opened independent drugstores with low turnover, but pharmacies (mainly networked) with a monthly revenue of 500 t. Therefore, in order to get good conditions for the purchase of goods (deferred payments, discounts), you need to build good relationships with suppliers from the very beginning. At the same time, you must constantly work on expanding the range and introducing additional services for your customers. The purchase of the first batch of goods will require at least 450-500 tons
Requirements for pharmacy staff
The head of the pharmacy, which is registered as a legal entity, must have a higher pharmaceutical education (diploma of a pharmacist), a specialist certificate and experience in this field for at least three years. If you intend to register as an individual entrepreneur, then to organize a pharmacy business you must also have a pharmacist diploma and a three-year work experience or a pharmacist and five-year work experience (or look for a person who meets these requirements for the position of head of a pharmacy).
Workers who are involved in taking, dispensing, storing, manufacturing and disposing of medicines must also have the appropriate education (pharmacists have secondary pharmaceuticals and pharmacists have higher medical education) and take advanced training every five years. Obviously, it will not be so easy to find such employees, and their salaries will be significantly higher than ordinary retailers who work with other product groups. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that about 35% of your expenses will be associated with the payment of salaries to staff. The minimum pharmacy staff includes a manager, one or more pharmacists (pharmacists), an accountant, a nurse (cleaner).
Some tips for opening a pharmacy
When drawing up a business plan, be sure to consider the seasonal factor. Most sales fall during the period of acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections and influenza - from October to March-April, depending on the region and weather conditions. In summer, sales will be significantly less (an average of 20-25%). Specialists recommend opening a pharmacy by August-September, so as not to fall into the “dead” summer season.
If you open an independent pharmacy or one pharmacy (kiosk), immediately lay the costs of advertising and promotion - discount cards, loyalty cards, promotions in the pharmacy, banners near your pharmacy, signs, signs, etc. The marketing budget for the launch of one small pharmacy will be from 35 t.
The minimum starting capital for opening a pharmacy is 1-1.5 million rubles (initial costs and expenses for the first three months of the new pharmacy). The payback period of a pharmacy is from one year (a pharmacy pays off faster than a kiosk due to a wider range and additional services). In this case, the first six months of your work are considered critical. During this period, your pharmacy should reach a stable profit. In the sleeping areas of large cities, as a rule, it is more profitable to open not one large pharmacy, but at least two pharmacy points, even with a smaller assortment (in the absence of great competition in this area).
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Sysoeva Lilia(c) www.clogicsecure.com - a portal to business plans and guidelines for starting a small business 08/18/2019