14 May 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
Well Pharmacy has recruited an operations director, Zur Rose Group will defend chief executive officer against legal charges, and Shop Apotheke Europe has recorded positive adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA).
Well Pharmacy recruits operations director
Well Pharmacy has recruited Nigel Swift as operations director.
Swift joins Well Pharmacy from McKesson UK, where he was marketing and sales director.
Well Pharmacy, which is part of the Bestway Group, claims to be the UK’s third-largest retail pharmacy chain with around 770 stores.
In the 12 months ended 30 June 2019, Well Pharmacy recorded sales of GBP790 million (USD980 million), representing a rise of 0.9% compared to the same period a year earlier. Profit before tax was GBP6.2 million.
Zur Rose to defend chief executive
Switzerland’s Zur Rose Group said the public prosecutor of the Canton of Thurgau had filed charges against its chief executive officer Walter Oberhänsli in connection with mail-order of non-prescription drugs and electronic prescribing.
The company’s Board of Directors said it “vigorously rejects” the accusations made against its chief executive officer and would support him unreservedly in fighting the charges.
The e-commerce pharmacy said the charges were based on a report of a criminal offence lodged by Pharmasuisse and related to two separate issues between 2010 and 2015. The first involved mail-order distribution of non-prescription drugs, while the second involved rewarding doctors for issuing electronic prescriptions.
Zur Rose pointed out that the activity had been discontinued five years ago.
Shop Apotheke Europe's EBITDA
Shop Apotheke Europe said it had recorded positive adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) in the first quarter of 2020.
Adjusted EBITDA at the online pharmacy was EUR4.9 million (USD5.3 million), giving a margin of 2.1%
In 2019, Shop Apotheke Europe recorded a negative adjusted EBITDA of EUR13.6 million. This produced an adjusted EBITDA margin of -1.9% which was an improvement on the previous year’s -2.2%.
Shop Apotheke Europe’s sales in the first quarter of 2020 were up by 33% to EUR232 million (click here to reads the News story).