How To Choose Good Location For Community Pharmacy Shop

The most important decision in starting a community pharmacy business is the choice of an ideal location. Location is more important than any other criterias in a successful community pharmacy business. A community pharmacy shop in a bad location means bad business that may not see the light of day.

After working in several community pharmacies within the last few years and observed their turnover, I have come to realise that location should not be picked randomly just because you want to start up a business. It is a crucial decision that can adversely affect the business.

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There are laws guiding the profession. A community pharmacy shop should not be located in certain places and should be at a certain distance from other community pharmacy shops. But after meeting these requirements, a viable location should be considered.

Criteria For Ideal Location

There are two types of location. A shop close to a secondary or tertiary health care facility and a shop close to residential area. When picking a shop, it is good the shop should be in both location if possible. If not, the first should come first. That does not mean that those who have the second cannot make sales.

Community pharmacy shop

The most viable location for a community pharmacy is in a heavy residential area or junction. Most of such locations are places where low income earners live. There are always going to be customers. They may not have a high purchasing power but will always come in to take care of their health. Such locations see both the young and old making sales of drugs of different categories are possible. Sales of prescription and over the counter medicine is common here. Supplement may not be the main ales here because that is where the profit comes from.

But if the location is of low income earners in a low residential area, it is a bad idea to start up a community pharmacy in such a location. This is made worse if there is another pharmacy in that location already.

But when the location is not possible in a heavy or high residential area, attention should be focused on location with high income earners such as rich people's estates. These sets of persons go to work in the morning buying on their way or when they are coming back in the evening.

In both locations, there should be a good accessible road to the community pharmacy. The best road network is a link road between two major roads. The shop should either be at the beginning or middle of the side of the road cars that are coming can enter without having to cross into the other lane. That is for Nigeria with right hand driving, the shop should be by the right hand side. If the shop is at the end where there is a turn to the major road, many customers will not want to branch when they are going out.

When a car just enters a link road and see a community pharmacy shop, they will be more willing to stop by than getting to the end of the road. And the shop should not be obstructed by tall buildings or any other type of obstruction.

There are some businesses that do a lot of market surveys before setting up their business. They know that the people in that location can spend their money. Setting up your community pharmacy where these companies are located is a viable way of investment. But be aware that their target market may be different from that of a community pharmacy. A good example of such business is Chicken Republic ™. All their businesses are located in areas with high income earners.

Bad Location

One very bad location to set up a community pharmacy shop is on the express or busy road with high speed cars or traffic jams. They will not come out of the car to buy anything. All they are thinking of is how to get home.

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Also, avoid a one way road network where vehicles are only allowed to go one way. You will end up missing out on the possibility of getting extra customers from those who pass through the other route.

Lastly, never pitch your community pharmacy shop on a road not yet constructed. People will not pass through suc road. And rich people will not like to live in that kind of place because they don't want to damage their vehicles.

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