PHARMACY – AUSTRALIA

Sigma shareholders tick $34bn chemist deal

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 16 : 30-Jan-25

More than 97 per cent of votes cast at a meeting of Sigma Healthcare shareholders on Wednesday were in favour of the proposed $34bn merger with Chemist Warehouse. Shareholders of the privately-owned Chemist Warehouse subsequently backed the deal later in the day at a pub in Melbourne’s north. Sigma’s chairman Michael Sammells says the merger is expected to generate about $60m worth of synergies, but he notes that there will be a lot of integration work given that the two companies are very different organisations. The merged group is slated to list on the sharemarket in mid-February.

CORPORATES
SIGMA HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX SIG, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

Vapes to be sold behind the counter under watered-down ban

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Original article by Paul Sakkal, Natassia Chrysanthos
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 25-Jun-24

The federal government has been criticised for abandoning its plans to make e-cigarettes available only with a doctor’s prescription. Labor has agreed to the Greens’ proposed amendments to its legislation on nicotine vaping products, which will now be available to buy at pharmacies without a prescription. Health Minister Mark Butler says the new laws will protect young Australians and the broader community from the harms of recreational vaping. However, the Coalition has described the amendments as a "backdown", while the Pharmacy Guild of Australia has urged the Senate to reject the revised legislation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH AND AGED CARE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE PHARMACY GUILD OF AUSTRALIA

Store sales may save mega deal

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Original article by Tom Richardson, Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 18 : 14-Jun-24

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has indicated that it has major concerns regarding Chemist Warehouse’s proposed $8.8 billion merger with Sigma Healthcare. The ACCC is particularly worried about the impact on smaller pharmacies that are supplied by Sigma in its role as a wholesaler. In a statement expressing its initial views on the proposed merger, the ACCC indicated that the transaction may lead to increased prices for the goods and services provided by pharmacies, while it could substantially lessen competition in pharmacy retailing. It is possible that Chemist Warehouse may have to sell some of its stores in order to get the ACCC’s approval for the merger.

CORPORATES
CHEMIST WAREHOUSE, SIGMA HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX SIG, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Pharmacy giant’s 100-year plan

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 16 : 12-Dec-23

Sigma Health has forecast that its merger with Chemist Warehouse will generate annual cost savings of $60m. The combined group will boost EBIT in excess of $495m and a market capitalisation of about $8.8bn. Chemist Warehouse operates a network of more than 600 franchised stores, while Sigma owns the Amcal and Discount Drug Store brands and a pharmaceuticals wholesaling arm. The merged group will be headed by Sigma CEO Vikesh Ramsunder and chairman Michael Sammells. Chemist Warehouse CEO and co-founder Mario Verrocchi says that listing the company on the sharemarket is a "life dream". Further expanding the Chemist Warehouse brand overseas will be part of the merged group’s 100-year growth strategy.

CORPORATES
SIGMA HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX SIG, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

High satisfaction ratings for chemists and pharmacies as Australia faced bushfires and then the COVID-19 pandemic

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Jun-20

Research conducted by Roy Morgan in the year to March 2020 shows that 12 million Australians (57%) shop at chemists/pharmacies in an average four weeks. The leading stores, including Priceline Pharmacy, My Chemist, TerryWhite Chemmart and Chemist Warehouse, each have well over 1 million customers. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says that the good news for chemists and pharmacies is that the 12 million customers of Australia’s chemists/ pharmacies rate their customer satisfaction amongst the highest of any of the more than 30 industries Roy Morgan measures on a weekly basis. Overall customer satisfaction for chemists/pharmacies averages a very high 90.5% and is in third position out of 32 industries. Chemists/Pharmacies rank behind only car manufacturers (92.3%) and hardware stores (90.8%). This high satisfaction for the industry is across the board and the top eight chemists and pharmacies are separated by a total of only 5% points.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

TerryWhite Chemmart’s impressive rise in customer satisfaction levels pays off

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Dec-19

TerryWhite Chemmart is the winner of Roy Morgan’s Chemist/Pharmacy of the Month Award for October 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 94%. The pharmacy chain’s recent ratings improvement has resulted in back-to-back monthly satisfaction awards. It is followed by Guardian (92%), Chemist Warehouse (90%), Priceline Pharmacy (90%) and Discount Drugstores (90%). The ratings are drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, which is based on in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 1,000 Australians each week in their homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, TERRYWHITE CHEMMART, GUARDIAN PHARMACY, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE, PRICELINE PHARMACY, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD

Guardian notches up another monthly satisfaction award, but are ratings soon to change?

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Sep-19

Guardian is the Roy Morgan Pharmacy/Chemist of the month for August 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 94%. It is followed by TerryWhite Chemmart (93%), Discount Drug Stores (91%), Chemist Warehouse (90%) and Priceline Pharmacy (90%). After winning the Chemist/Pharmacy of the Year Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014, Guardian spent the following four years behind other leading chemists and pharmacies. However, this month’s award takes Guardian to seven monthly awards for 2019, and therefore securing its fourth annual award. This customer satisfaction data has been obtained from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year in their homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, GUARDIAN PHARMACY, TERRYWHITE CHEMMART, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE, PRICELINE PHARMACY

Guardian wins Pharmacy satisfaction ahead of Priceline

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-May-19

Guardian is the Roy Morgan Pharmacy/Chemist of the month for March 2019 with a customer satisfaction rating of 93%, edging out Priceline Pharmacy on 92% and TerryWhite Chemmart and Discount Drug Stores (both on 91%). Guardian is a former winner of the Roy Morgan Pharmacy/Chemist of the Year Customer Satisfaction Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and it has returned to the winner’s circle with a significant improvement in performance over the last year. Guardian increased customer satisfaction by 6% points from a year ago to 93% – a larger increase than any of its leading rivals. Several other leading pharmacies improved their customer satisfaction over the last year, including Priceline Pharmacy (up 2% points to 92%), TerryWhite Chemmart (up 2% points to 91%), Amcal/Amcal Max (up 2% points to 90%) and Chemist Warehouse (up 1% point to 90%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, GUARDIAN PHARMACY, PRICELINE PHARMACY, TERRYWHITE CHEMMART, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD, AMCAL CHEMISTS, AMCAL MAX, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

Discount Drug Stores takes the lead in satisfaction

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Dec-18

Discount Drug Stores has taken out Roy Morgan’s pharmacy customer satisfaction award for October 2018, with 91.4% of its customers reporting that they were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with their shopping experience in the chain’s stores. Its nearest competitor was Priceline Pharmacy, with a total satisfaction rating of 90.4%, followed by Amcal/Amcal Max with an overall satisfaction rating of 90%. Breaking down the satisfaction data by age, the group with the highest level of satisfaction with an individual pharmacy brand was the ‘pre-Baby Boomers’, 96% of whom were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with Soul Pattinson. Satisfaction scores use 12-month moving averages to smooth out data volatility, and are based on the Roy Morgan Single Source survey which involves more than 50,000 detailed face-to-face interviews a year with householders in their own homes, including 15,040 in the past year who rated their pharmacy experience.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD, PRICELINE PHARMACY, AMCAL PTY LTD, AMCAL MAX, SOUL PATTINSON

My Chemist wins pharmacy customer satisfaction again

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Apr-18

My Chemist is again the industry leader for Australian pharmacies early in 2018, with a customer satisfaction rating of 90.4% in February. It has won the Roy Morgan pharmacy customer satisfaction award for both January and February. My Chemist also won the Annual Roy Morgan Pharmacy/Chemist Customer Satisfaction Award for the first time in 2017. Close behind My Chemist in February were December 2017 monthly winner Discount Drug Stores with a customer satisfaction rating of 89.8%, rivals Priceline on 89.3% and newly-merged TerryWhite Chemmart on 89.0%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MY CHEMIST PTY LTD, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD, PRICELINE PHARMACY, TERRYWHITE CHEMMART