pharmacieplus

What pharmacieplus does

pharmacieplus is a Swiss retail pharmacy network founded in 1994 and operated as a federation of roughly 100 pharmacist-owned pharmacies across the French-speaking Romandie and Italian-speaking Ticino regions. The central entity, pharmacieplus sa (headquartered in Bremblens, Vaud), provides brand, marketing, training, and shared services to the affiliated pharmacies, which are independently owned by practicing pharmacists rather than by a corporate parent. The network offers prescription and over-the-counter medications, organic products, and a broad set of in-pharmacy health services including flu and tick-borne encephalitis vaccinations, blood pressure and iron-level testing, STI screening, colorectal cancer risk assessment, allergy testing, and Kinesio Taping.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model through physical storefronts, supplemented by an e-commerce ordering platform (e-commande) powered by Abilis. Customer retention is driven by the carteplus loyalty program, which is free and administered by Ofac in Geneva and converts purchase points into cash or gift vouchers. Marketing is multi-channel and content-led: a website, a quarterly santéplus health magazine, health articles and news on the website, and organic social media on Facebook and Instagram. Monthly prixminus promotions (15% off selected ranges) and community campaigns (e.g., Fondation Théodora) support footfall and brand engagement.

Revenue is generated from retail pharmacy sales (one-time transactions), health services (professional services), loyalty-driven repeat purchases, and the magazine as a marketing vehicle. The legal structure differentiates pharmacieplus from corporate pharmacy chains: the central SA delivers tools, services, and brand support while the individual pharmacies remain pharmacist-owned, sharing standards, training, and marketing collateral. The company is privately held, headquartered in Switzerland, and does not disclose revenue.

Name

pharmacieplus

Legal name

pharmacieplus sa

Website

https://pharmacieplus.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

pharmacieplus is a Swiss network of nearly 100 pharmacist-owned pharmacies across Romandie and Ticino, offering prescription and OTC medications, in-pharmacy health services, an e-commerce ordering platform, and the carteplus loyalty program to general consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Pharmacy

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110)

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Community Pharmacies (Chain/Independent) (HLAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mail-Order & Home Delivery Pharmacies (HLAFALAD)

Keywords

• Retail pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical dispensing
• Health products retail
• Pharmacy health services
• Cosmetics and wellness

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaud

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Pharmacy Sales: Revenue from selling pharmaceutical products, OTC medications, health and beauty products, and cosmetics through the network of nearly 100 pharmacies across Romandie and Ticino.
2. Loyalty Program (carteplus): Free loyalty card that rewards customers with points on purchases (except reimbursed medications) that can be converted to cash or gift vouchers. Administered by Ofac in Geneva.
3. Health Services: Revenue from health services including vaccinations (flu, tick-borne encephalitis), screenings (iron levels, blood pressure, STI, colorectal cancer), allergy testing, and treatments such as Kinesio Taping.
4. Magazine Subscriptions: Free magazine santéplus distributed to subscribers, containing health articles and beauty content. While free to subscribers, serves as a marketing vehicle to drive customer engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

pharmacieplus is a cooperative network of around 100 independent pharmacist-owned pharmacies in the Romandie and Ticino regions of Switzerland. It dispenses prescription and OTC medications, sells cosmetics, health and beauty products, and offers in-store health services such as vaccinations, health screenings, and kinesio taping. The banner also supports members with a group loyalty program (carteplus), a customer magazine (santéplus), and an online ordering service (e-commande).

Product overview

pharmacieplus operates as a unified pharmacy network offering both physical pharmacy services and related products. The core offering consists of a network of nearly 100 pharmacist-owned pharmacies providing health services (prestations) such as blood testing, vaccinations, and screenings, supported by the carteplus loyalty program. The network also publishes the santéplus magazine and maintains online ordering capabilities. Together, these services form a comprehensive pharmacy brand offering healthcare services, health education content, and customer retention programs across Romandie and Ticino.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• carteplus: Loyalty card program that rewards customer fidelity with points convertible to cash or purchase vouchers
• santéplus
• prixminus
• e-commande

Products and services

• Prescription and OTC medication dispensing Retail dispensing of prescription and over-the-counter medications by pharmacists at nearly 100 member pharmacies, serving individual consumers in Swiss Romandie and Ticino.
• Health and beauty / cosmetics products Retail sale of cosmetics, skincare, hygiene, and wellness products in member pharmacies, targeting individual consumers seeking everyday health and beauty items.
• In-pharmacy health services (vaccinations, screenings, kinesio taping) In-store preventive and wellness services performed by pharmacists, including vaccinations, health screenings, and kinesio taping, for walk-in consumers and patients in the Romandie and Ticino regions.
• carteplus loyalty program Loyalty program that lets individual consumers earn rewards and access member benefits when purchasing products and services at any pharmacieplus member pharmacy.
• santéplus magazine Magazine produced by the pharmacieplus group providing health, wellness, and product information to consumers of its member pharmacies.
• e-commande online ordering service Online ordering service that lets consumers order pharmacy products from their local pharmacieplus member pharmacy via the internet, with home delivery or pickup.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OfaccoreTechnology or IntegrationOfac, based in Geneva, serves as the administrative processor for the carteplus loyalty program. They send communications to loyalty card holders and manage loyalty points on behalf of PharmaciePlus.
• Facebook and InstagramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaciePlus maintains social media pages on Facebook and Instagram where they share health content and engage with customers. Data collection on these platforms is under the respective platform's privacy policy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Amavita: Major Swiss pharmacy chain owned by Galenica, operating over 100 locations including in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. Directly competes with PharmaciePlus on store footprint, retail assortment, and in-pharmacy health services.
• Medbase: Swiss pharmacy and medical-center group offering integrated primary care and pharmacy services. Comparable as a multi-site Swiss pharmacy operator expanding clinical service scope beyond dispensing.
• Sun Store: Discount-oriented pharmacy chain under Galenica with a strong presence in Romandie and Ticino. Comparable as a value-positioned pharmacy retail brand targeting similar Swiss consumer segments.
• Coop Vitality: Pharmacy format operated by retail giant Coop, combining pharmacy services with health-focused retail. Comparable as a multi-location Swiss pharmacy competitor with strong parent-brand leverage.
• TopPharm: Swiss cooperative-style pharmacy network of independently owned pharmacies with shared brand and services. Highly comparable structure to PharmaciePlus's pharmacist-owned network model.
• Benu Apotheken (Switzerland): Swiss pharmacy chain under the international BENU network, operating stores across multiple cantons including Romandie. Comparable multi-location pharmacy competitor with similar in-store service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Galenica: Largest Swiss pharmacy retail and wholesale group, operating the Amavita and Sun Store chains as well as the Galexis wholesale business. Directly comparable as the dominant incumbent in Swiss retail pharmacy, with a substantially larger footprint and resources than PharmaciePlus.

Emerging players

• DocMorris (Zur Rose): Mail-order and online pharmacy active in the Swiss market, now part of the DocMorris group. Comparable as a digital-first Swiss pharmacy competitor targeting the same OTC and prescription consumers via home delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about pharmacieplus