DM Enters the German Pharmacy Market. Starting from next year, the Czech-based company will dispatch free-sale medicines to Germany, as reported by the “Handelsblatt” on Wednesday, citing various market participants involved in the project.
Upon inquiry, Sebastian Bayer, Marketing and Procurement Director at DM, confirmed to the newspaper that the company has established a corresponding entity in the Czech Republic. Market participants predict a summer start, but DM refuses to commit to a specific start date.
“We plan to engage solely in the online sale of free-sale medicines” Bayer explained. However, this alone opens up a new multi-billion-dollar market for the company. The free-sale medicine market in Germany generated around 6.2 billion euros in revenue last year, based on the prices set by the manufacturers.
DM’s Managing Director pointed out that the German healthcare market faces enormous challenges. “From the citizens’ perspective, it will become more expensive, but not better” he said. “That’s why DM is asking what we can contribute if there are regulatory changes.” The drugstore chain still has a lot of imagination about what it can offer in this area.