Community pharmacy & healthcare retailer Lloydspharmacy will be rebranded as Lloyds and become “the leading pharmacy brand in Europe”, parent company Celesio said today as it announced a realignment of its portfolio.
As it looks to develop its core business, Celesio is also currently undertaking a trial of what it called “the corner stones of its future European Pharmacy Network” which will see a cross-group standardisation as all pharmacies under its care will undergo the name change while a new store concept is being trialled which will see new service formats and the latest technology available in store.
Pilot pharmacies have now opened in Bicester in the UK and in Italy and the group will continue to test the concept in Europe next year prior to a roll-out across its 2,200 stores across the continent.
Stephan Borchert, member of Celesio‘s management board, said of the move: “Under the name of ‘Lloyds‘, we wish to establish in the coming years the leading European pharmacy brand.
“It will stand for pharmaceutical excellence in service, medical advice and product portfolio as well as for a new and positive pharmacy experience on the part of the customers.
“We will strengthen the pharmacy as a multi-functional pharmaceutical service and retail concept.”
Based on extensive market research, the new pharmacies will simplify their service portfolio by focusing on either ‘skin‘ or ‘pain.‘
Celesio has identified these as the main reasons for a visit to the chemist though additional areas of focus will be added over time.
Advice begins with analysis using top technology such as digital skin scanners, while compliance management is also a key part of the strategy. In addition, Lloyds will also introduce intelligent stock management systems to simplify the process efforts of staff.
As part of the new network, independent pharmacies will be given the opportunity to partner with Lloyds and use the services either in full or in individual modules. Borchert explained: “The cooperation partners alone decide whether and to what extent they want to use these services.
“They are therefore determining the degree of cooperation. With regard to the different national legislative framework of the health systems, the pharmacy network and its modules will be tailored to national requirements.”
