Are you about starting a pharmacy (chemist shop)? If YES, here’s a complete sample wholesale / retail pharmacy business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a retail pharmacy. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample retail pharmacy marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for pharmacies. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.
Being in the pharmacy trade is a very good thing. This is because of the great returns on investment that is being guaranteed.
Starting a retail business is a very right step to take if you are looking to delve into the retail pharmacy business. It is important that you are a pharmacist; this is so that you can get a proper hang of the business, as well as bring in your hands-on prowess into the venture.
A Sample Retail Pharmacy Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
What really is the pharmaceutical business all about? The pharmaceutical industry is known for developing, producing, and marketing medicine (drugs). Retail pharmacy business is known to be involved in the sale (retailing) of generic or brand medications; some big pharmaceutical stores even engage in the sale of medical devices.
All over the world, the pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated. This is so because of the devastating effect of fake drugs and drug abuse which can’t be quantified. As a matter of fact, there are several universal laws and regulations that govern the patenting, testing, safety, efficacy and marketing of drugs.
For example; in the united states, new pharmaceutical products must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as being both safe and effective before they can be allowed to go into the market. Any entrepreneur (investor) who has a plan of starting his or her own retail pharmacy business must comply with the Regulation of Retail Pharmacy Businesses that was passed into law in 2008.
Anyone who wants to establish a retail pharmacy business must follow the regulations that guides the sourcing, storage, sale, supply and keeping of records, in respect of medicinal products. Other requirements that they are expected to comply with are; requirements that relates to staff, premises, equipment and procedures are also stipulated.
No doubt retail pharmacy business is indeed a profitable industry; at the end of 2011, there were just over 23,100 independent retail pharmacies operating domestically.
For instance; in 2012 about 62,000 retail, mail and specialty pharmacies operating in America filled more than 4 billion prescriptions. As a matter of fact, in 2012 alone, statistics indicated that the total industry revenues was between $275 billion and $290 billion.
Statistics has it that global spending on prescription drugs grew to a whopping sum of $954 billion in 2011 and The United States accounts for more than a third of the global pharmaceutical market, with an estimate of $340 billion in annual sales.
It is on record that the retail pharmacy industry is growing at an annual rate of 1.6 percent. Retail pharmaceutical stores are amongst the top beneficiaries; they have experienced high sales growth in the first aid, eye care, sun care, smoking deterrent, foot care and home healthcare categories.
Over and above, the retail pharmacy industry is indeed a growing and a profitable industry and it is open to any aspiring investor (entrepreneur) to come in and establish his or her retail pharmacy outlet.
2. Executive Summary
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will be located in one of the busiest streets in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. We have been able to lease a facility for 5 years with the option of acquiring the property once the property is put up for sale.
The facility is well positioned and it matches the ideal picture of a community retail pharmacy store. We are not going to spend much to revamp the facility because before taking over the facility, it was used as a retail shop. Although the business is launching out with just one outlet, but we have plans to open other outlets in key locations around Baltimore, MD.
Kingsley Greeno retail pharmacy store will be involved in the retailing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. We will also be involved in the sale of beauty products, cosmetic, postcards (greeting cards), convenience foods and other related products.
We are in retail pharmacy business to retail a wide range of pharmaceuticals for our customers, at the lowest prices they can get anywhere in Baltimore, MD. Our employees are well trained and qualified to handle the wide range of customers that we are positioned to serve. We will engage in the sale of prescriptions at reduced prices both at the counter and online order.
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy will operate a 24 hours, 7 days a week pharmaceutical store. We shall also have customers like; walk – in customers and mail order customers. Our work force is going to be well trained to operate within the framework of our company’s corporate culture and also to meet the needs of all our customers.
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will ensure that all our customers are given first class treatment whenever they visit our shop.
We have a CRM software that will enable us manage a one on one relationship with our customers no matter how large the numbers of our customers’ base grows. We will ensure that we get our customers involved in the selection of brands that will be on our racks and also when make some business decisions.
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is a family business that is owned and managed by Kinsley Greeno and Family. Mr. Kingsley Greeno is going to be the Chief Executive Officer of the business; he has a first Degree in Pharmacy and an MBA from Harvard University.
He has well over 10 years of experience working as a pharmacist with the United States’ government. His son who is an undergraduate is currently studying pharmacy, with the hope of taking over the family business when he (Mr. Greeno) retires.
3. Our Products and Services
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will retail a wide range of prescription drugs from different manufacturing brands to customers who are based in Baltimore, MD. We also engage in the sale of beauty products, cosmetic, postcards (greeting cards), baby products, convenience foods and other related products (small scale medical equipment / instruments et al).
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to become the largest retail pharmacy store in the whole of Maryland, U.S.
- Our mission is to establish a first class retail pharmacy store that will make available a wide range of generic and branded prescription drugs from top pharmaceutical manufacturing brands at affordable prices to the residence of Baltimore, MD.
Our Business Structure
Kinsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is a business that will be built on a solid foundation. From the outset, we have decided to recruit only qualified people to man various job positions in our organization. We are quite aware of the rules and regulations governing the pharmaceutical industry which is why we decided to recruit experienced and qualify employees as foundational staff of the organization.
We hope to leverage on their expertise to build our business. When hiring, we will look out for applicants that are not just qualified and experienced, but honest, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stakeholders (the owners, workforce, and customers).
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more. This are the positions that will be available at Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store;
- CEO (pharmacy owner, superintendent pharmacist and supervising pharmacist)
- Pharmacist (Manager)
- Merchandize Manager
- Pharmacist technician (3)
- Information Technologist (Contract)
- Sales agents (3)
- Cashier (Counter Agent).
- Cleaners
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Executive Officer – CEO:
- Responsible for providing direction for the business
- Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
- Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
- Responsible for recruitment
- Responsible for payment of salaries
- Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
- Evaluates the success of the organization
Pharmacist (Manager):
- Responsible for managing the daily activities in the restaurant
- provides advice about health issues, symptoms and medications in response to customer enquiries
- recruits, trains and manages staff
- processes prescriptions and dispensing medication
- orders, sells and controls medicines and other stock
- meets medical representatives
- manages budgets
- keeps statistical and financial records
- prepares publicity materials and displays
- markets services
- Interfaces with third – party providers (vendors)
- Controls the sales floor inventory
- Supervises the entire sales staff and workforce
- Any other duty as assigned by the CEO
Merchandize Manager
- Manages vendor relations, market visits, and the ongoing education and development of the organizations’ buying teams
- Helps to ensure consistent quality of drugs and products on our rack
- Responsible for the purchase of goods and products for the organizations
- Responsible for planning sales, monitoring inventory, selecting the merchandise, and writing and pricing orders to vendors
- Ensures that the organization operates within stipulated budget.
Pharmacy Technician
- Ensures that the store facility is in tip top shape and conducive enough to welcome customers (This includes turning on equipment such as computers, scales, printers and fax machines)
- Ensures that goods and products are properly arranged
- Responsible for processing prescriptions
- Responsible for sterilizing the counter tops, scales, pill counting trays, and other medication measuring devices.
- Handles administrative and bookkeeping tasks, inventory control, stocking shelves, and data entry
- Performs monthly inventory counts, file paperwork, and stock inventory
- Handles any other duty as assigned by the floor manager (Pharmacist)
Sales Agents
- Manages external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
- Models demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer purchases
- Sources for clients for the company
- Responsible for promoting the company’s image
- Responsible for creating marketing and sales strategies, etc.
- Represents the organization in some strategic business meetings
- Handles any other duty as assigned by the floor manager (Pharmacist)
Information Technologist
- Manages the organization website
- Handles ecommerce aspect of the business
- Responsible for installing and maintenance of computer software and hardware for the organization
- Manage logistics and supply chain software, Web servers, e-commerce software and POS (point of sale) systems
- Manage the organization’s CCTV
- Handles any other technological and IT related duties.
Cashier (Counter Agent):
- Receives payments on behalf of the organization
- Issues receipt to customers
- Prepare financial report at the end of every working week
- Handles financial transaction on behalf of the company
- Interfaces with our bankers
- Responsible for payment of tax, levies and utility bills
- Handles any other duty as assigned by the floor manager (Pharmacist)
Cleaners:
- Responsible for cleaning the pharmacy facility at all times
- Ensures that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock
- Cleans both the interior and exterior of the pharmacy facility
- Handle any other duty as assigned by the floor manager (Pharmacist)
6. SWOT Analysis
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is not looking forward to operate a regular retail pharmacy store, because we want to become the biggest retail community pharmacy in Baltimore. We want our pharmacy to be the number one choice of all residence of Baltimore.
We know that if we are going to achieve the goals that we have set for our business, then we must ensure that we build our business on a solid foundation. We must ensure that we follow due process in setting up our retail pharmacy store.
Despite the fact that our CEO (owner) has a robust experience in retail pharmacy business, we still went ahead to hire the services of business consultants that are specialized in setting up new businesses to help our organization conduct detailed SWOT analysis and to also provide professional support in helping us structure our business. This is the summary of the SWOT analysis that was conducted for Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store;
- Strength:
Our location is one of our strength. The Business model we will be operating on (physical store and online store) will be opened for 24 hours daily and 7 days in a week. There would be multiple payment options; wide range of prescription drugs, home delivery services and our excellent customer service culture will definitely count as a strong strength for us.
- Weakness:
Our perceived weakness is the fact that we are just starting out and we may not have the required finance to sustain the kind of publicity that we intend giving the business.
- Opportunities:
The opportunities that are available to retail pharmacy business is unlimited and we are going to position our business to make the best out of the opportunities that will be available to us in Baltimore, MD.
- Threat:
Just like any other retail business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face is economic downturn and unfavorable government policies (healthcare reform). It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing power. Another threat that may likely confront us is the arrival of a new retail pharmacy outlet in same location where ours is located (Baltimore, MD.).
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
The market trend in retail pharmacy industry is directly influenced by a country’s healthcare reform policies. The fact that the pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated means that any entrepreneur who wants to run a retail pharmacy store must be ready to play by the book.
Loads of other factors influences the market trend in the industry and it is normal to see bigger retail pharmacy stores (especially those with chains of outlets) weathering the storm whenever there are major shaking in the industry. In essence, the easiest way to build a solid and highly profitable retail pharmacy business is to engage in opening various outlets in key cities around the U.S. and the
No doubt the industry will continue to grow and become more profitable because the aging baby-boomer generation in United States are expected to drive increasing demand for prescription drugs.
Retail Pharmacies are now making use of technology to effectively manage their business by plugging financial leakages which happens to be one of the biggest challenges that retail businesses faces. The use of technology, i.e. CRM software et al are very effective in helping retail businesses manage their clientele base.
8. Our Target Market
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is in business to service a wide range of customers in Baltimore, Maryland. We will ensure that we target self – pay customers (who do not have drug plans), mail order customers, and walk in customers et al.
The fact that we are going to open our doors to a wide range of customers does not in any way stop us from demanding and screening prescriptions as required by the law. Our staff are trained to effectively service our customers and still play by the rules governing the industry. Our customers can be categorized into the following;
- Households
- Corporate Executives
- Business People
- Elderly people
- Expectant Mothers
- Sports Men and Women
- Students
Our Competitive Advantage
The retail pharmacy industry is known to be highly competitive in the U.S and in most parts of the world. The industry is growing and there are alternative ways through which clients / patients can get their medications / prescriptions / drugs.
There are alternative provides like mail-order firms, grocery chains, mass merchants and dollar stores; these are the real competitors in the industry. These competitors ensures that they do all that lies within their powers to gain favorable market share of the available market in any given region.
It is a fact that small retail pharmacy stores will always struggle with larger pharmacy chains when it comes to pricing power and brand recognition, which is why smaller retail pharmacy store always go out of their ways to deliver excellent customer service. It is through top notch customer service that they can secure a fair share of the available market.
Smaller retail pharmacies ensures that each order carries a printout. The printout accompany the medications providing directions on how patient are expected to take the medications, other drugs that should be avoided concurrently, and other useful information.
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is coming into the market well prepared to favorably compete in the industry. Our pharmacy is well positioned and visible, we have enough parking space with good security. Our management staff are well groomed in retail pharmacy and all our employees are trained to provide customized customer service to all our clients.
We are going to be one of the few retail pharmacies in Baltimore that will be opened 24 hours a week and 7 days a week. We have enough staff that are ready to run a shift system. Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy we will ensure that we have a wide range of products (prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs.
We will also be involved in the sale of beauty products, cosmetic, postcards (greeting cards), convenience foods and other related products) available in our store at all times. It will be difficult for customers to visit our store and not see the product that they are looking for. One of our business goals is to make our pharmacy a one stop pharmacy shop.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Our source of income will be majorly in the retailing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy will also generate income from the sale of beauty products, cosmetic, postcards (greeting cards), convenience foods and other related products.
10. Sales Forecast
It is important to state that our sales forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies, market survey and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field.. Below are the sales projections that we were able to come up with for the first three years of operations;
- First Year-: $200,000 (From Walk – in customers) + $250,000 (From Mail Order customers)
- Second Year-: $450,000 (From Walk – in customers) + $470,000 (From Mail Order customers)
- Third Year-: $700,000 (From Walk – in customers) + $800,000 (From Mail Order customers)
N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and natural disasters within the period stated above. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.
- Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy
The marketing and sales strategy of Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will be based on generating long-term personalized relationships with customers.
In order to achieve that, we will ensure that we offer medications at lower prices, compared to what is obtainable in Baltimore. We will also ensure that we have a wide range of drug supplies in stock for both quick shipment and storefront pick up.
All our employees will be well trained and equipped to provide excellent and knowledgeable customer service. We know that if we are consistent with offering high quality drugs and excellent customer service we will increase the number of our customers by more than 25% for the first year and then more than 30 percent subsequently.
Before choosing a location for our pharmacy store, we conducted a thorough market survey and feasibility studies in order for us to be able to be able to penetrate the available market and become the preferred choice for residence of Baltimore, MD.
We have detailed information and data that we were able to utilize to structure our business to attract the numbers of customers we want to attract per time.
We hired experts who have good understanding of the retail industry to help us develop marketing strategies that will help us achieve our business goal of winning a larger percentage of the available market in Baltimore, Maryland. In summary, Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will adopt the following sales and marketing approach to win customers over;
- Introduce our business by sending introductory letters to residence, business owners and organizations
- Advertise our business in community based newspapers, local TV and radio stations
- List our business on yellow pages ads
- Leverage on the internet to promote our business
- Direct marketing
- Word of mouth marketing (referrals)
- Enter into business partnership with hospitals, healthcare provider and health insurance companies.
- Attend pharmaceutical related exhibitions / expos.
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
Regardless of the fact that our retail pharmacy store is well located in Baltimore, MD., we will still go ahead to intensify publicity for the business. We are going to explore all available conventional and non – conventional means to promote our retail business.
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store has a long term plan of opening outlets in various locations all around Maryland which is why we will deliberately build our brand to be well accepted in Baltimore before venturing out.
As a matter of fact, our publicity and advertising strategy is not solely for winning customers over but to effectively communicate our brand to the general public. Here are the platforms we intend leveraging on to promote and advertise Kinsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store;
- Place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
- Sponsor relevant community programs
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, et al to promote our brand
- Install our BillBoards on strategic locations all around Baltimore, MD.
- Engage in road show from time to time
- Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
- Position our Flexi Banners at strategic positions in the location where our retail store is located.
12. Our Pricing Strategy
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will work towards ensuring that all our products (prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs and beauty products, cosmetic, postcards (greeting cards), convenience foods and other related products) are offered at highly competitive prices compare to what is obtainable in Baltimore.
The fact that we are going to be offering our products at cheaper prices does not in any way means that we will sell sub – standard goods. Selling our products at a lower price than what is obtainable in our competitors store means that we will only reduce our profit margin.
- Payment Options
At Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store, our payment policy is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that will be available in every of our outlets;
- Payment by cash
- Payment via Point of Sale (POS) Machine
- Payment via online bank transfer (online payment portal)
- Payment via Mobile money
- Check (only from loyal customers)
In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our payment plans without any itches.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
This is the key areas where we will spend our start – up capital on;
- The Total Fee for Registering the Business in Maryland – $750.
- Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits- $1,500.
- Marketing promotion expenses for the grand opening of People’s Choice Retail Store in the amount of $3,500 and as well as flyer printing (2,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $3,580.
- Cost for hiring Consultant – $2,500.
- Cost for Computer Software (Accounting Software, Payroll Software, CRM Software, Microsoft Office, QuickBooks Pro, drug interaction software, Physician Desk Reference software) – $7,000
- Insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $3,400.
- Cost for payment of rent for 12 month at $1.76 per square feet in the total amount of $105,600.
- Cost for Shop remodeling (construction of racks and shelves) – $20,000.
- Other start-up expenses including stationery ($500) and phone and utility deposits ($2,500).
- Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $100,000
- The cost for Start-up inventory (stocking with a wide range of products) – $150,000
- Storage hardware (bins, rack, shelves,) – $3,720
- The cost for counter area equipment (counter top, sink, ice machine, etc.) – $9,500
- Cost for Supplies (Assorted bottles, boxes, envelopes, etc. for dispensing and shipment)- $3,000
- Cost for store equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $13,750
- Cost of purchase and installation of CCTVs: $7,000
- The cost for the purchase of furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Telephone, TVs, tables and chairs et al): $4,000.
- The cost of Launching a Website: $700
- The cost for our opening party: $7,000
- Miscellaneous: $10,000
We would need an estimate of $500,000 to successfully set up our retail pharmacy store in Baltimore, MD. Please note that this amount includes the salaries of all the staff for the first month of operation.
Generating Funding / Startup Capital
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is a private business that is solely owned and financed by Kingsley Greeno and family.
They do not intend to welcome any external business partners which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital to 3 major sources. These are the areas Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store intends to generate our start – up capital;
- Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings
- Source for soft loans from family members and friends
- Apply for loan from my Bank
N.B: We have been able to generate about $200,000 (Personal savings $150,000 and soft loan from family members $50,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $300,000 from our bank. All the papers and document have been signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited with the amount.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it may not be too long before the business closes shop.
One of our major goals of starting Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running. We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to sell our product a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin.
Kingsley Greeno Retail Pharmacy Store will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.
Check List / Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
- Business Registration: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
- Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Leasing of facility and remodeling the shop: In Progress
- Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
- Generating capital from family members: Completed
- Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
- writing of business plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
- Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
- Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Purchase of the Needed furniture, racks, shelves, computers, electronic appliances, office appliances and CCTV: In progress
- Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
- Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress
- Compilation of our list of products that will be available in our pharmacy store: Completed
- Establishing business relationship with vendors (wholesale pharmaceutical companies): In Progress