Clicks to buy Pick n Pay pharmacies

SOUTH African health and beauty company Clicks plans to acquire the retail pharmacy business of Pick n Pay, according to a Clicks Group statement.

The acquisition will include 25 in-store pharmacies that will be rebranded to Clicks. This will take the national presence of the health and beauty retailer to 632 pharmacies.

In terms of the proposed transaction, Clicks will acquire the pharmacy licences and ethical drug stock, while all staff employed in the pharmacies will transfer from Pick n Pay to Clicks.

Vikesh Ramsunder, the chief executive of Clicks Group, said the acquisition of the pharmacy chain from Pick n Pay accelerates the strategy of extending the convenience and accessibility of the Clicks pharmacy network.

“Currently, 50 percent of the country’s population live within 6km of a Clicks pharmacy, and we aim to improve this over time as we get closer to customers,” Ramsunder said.

Pick n Pay chief operating officer Adrian Naude said: “Pick n Pay has only held a relatively small number of pharmacies over the years. We have recently set out our key strategic objectives in terms of future growth, and these do not include the development of a large pharmacy division.”

The proposed transaction is subject to approval by competition and regulatory authorities.