Centrofarm launches expansion on markets outside Bucharest

Centrofarm pharmacy network, which operates 33 drugstores in the capital city and Ilfov county, plans to open 7 pharmacies outside Bucharest by yearend, a project for which it has earmarked several hundred thousand euros. The seven pharmacies represent the start of Centrofarm’s expansion outside Bucharest. “We already have a pharmacy in Constanta, which is a first important step for us. The pharmacies we plan to open in the following period are located inside shopping centres and we will continue to embrace this development strategy depending on the opportunities,” said Dorin Catana, Centrofarm general manager. The benefits of opening pharmacies in shopping centres include a large flow of customers, while the disadvantages are the high expenses; specifically the high rent in these locations. With regard to the revenues Centrofarm expects to generate outside Bucharest, Dorin Catana says they will be smaller than those registered in Bucharest. In mid 2005, Centrofarm started an extensive process of market repositioning.