6 April 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
Shop Apotheke Europe said its sales growth in the first quarter of 2020 had been “bigger than originally planned” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Netherlands-based online pharmacy reported sales of EUR232 million (USD251 million) in the first quarter of 2020, representing a rise of 33% compared to the same period a year earlier. The rise on an organic basis was also 33%.
Noting there had been a “very good start to the year in January and February”, Shop Apotheke Europe said “additional demand induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in March further accelerated growth”.
Shop Apotheke Europe announced on 17 March 2020 that it was experiencing a “temporary but unabated surge” in orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic (click here to read the News story).
Sales in the company’s DACH segment – Germany, Austria and Switzerland – were up by 29.7% to EUR201 million in the first quarter of 2020. The segment generated 86.6% of total sales.
Meanwhile, sales in the International segment – covering Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands – increased by 58.6% to EUR31 million.
Shop Apotheke Europe said the number of active customers across Europe had increased by 300,000 to five million in the first quarter of 2020.
New online doctor service
The company recently started a cooperation with Zava, which it described as one of the leading online doctor services in Germany and Europe. “Customers now have the opportunity to get a medical consultation for selected indications without having to go to a physician’s office,” commented Shop Apotheke Europe, adding the service was part of its “strategy to become a customer-centric e-pharmacy platform”.
About Shop Apotheke Europe
Shop Apotheke Europe describes itself as “one of the leading and the fastest-growing online pharmacies in continental Europe”. It operates online pharmacies in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The company’s headquarters are in the Netherlands and it is listed on Germany’s Frankfurt Stock Exchange.