Life Pharmacy

What Life Pharmacy does

VITA Apotheke (branded in firmographic data as Life Pharmacy) is a German community pharmacy operating as a sole proprietorship (e.K.) under owner and licensed pharmacist Melanie Tilgner from a single location at Heußweg 37 in the Hamburg-Eimsbüttel district. The business has run extended hours of 8:00 to 24:00, 365 days a year, since its 2008 founding, distinguishing it from standard German pharmacies that typically close by 18:30 and on Sundays. It serves walk-in retail customers, online shoppers, and targeted B2B segments including doctors, nursing services, and midwives, with a primary value proposition centered on late-night availability and breadth of stock.

The core operating stack combines a physical storefront with an e-commerce platform (shop.vita-apotheke-hh.de) supporting E-Rezept (electronic prescription) processing via QR code, health card, and photo upload; same-day Botendienst delivery within Hamburg until midnight; an in-house customer loyalty program (Kundenkarte) integrated with Payback bonus points and free delivery; and value-added clinical services including medication reviews (Medikamenten-Check), on-site vaccinations (Impf-Service), inhalation consultations for asthma/COPD, pharmaceutical compounding, and medical cannabis dispensing. A fully automated warehouse holds more than 18,000 medication SKUs for immediate dispensing. The technology stack is vendor-composed rather than proprietary: Noventi PROKAS for pharmacy management, Aaron GmbH for AI telephone assistance, no-q GmbH for appointment booking, DHL for shipping, PayPal for payments, and CleverReach for email marketing, all operated under GDPR-compliant data processing agreements with on-premise storage for core prescription data.

The business model is built on regulated German pharmacy economics: revenue is generated through retail sale of prescription and OTC medications at manufacturer-recommended prices (UVP), regulated prescription processing fees, OTC and dermocosmetics sales (including brands such as Avène, Caudalie, CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Eucerin), nutritional supplements, medical cannabis, care aids, and equipment rental, supplemented by delivery fees (waived for Kundenkarte holders) and value-added service fees for vaccinations and medication reviews. GTM is direct-to-consumer across physical retail, online shop, telephone (with AI-assisted triage), and WhatsApp Business channels, with a horizontal segmentation approach targeting general public, families, chronic condition patients, and healthcare professionals. The company operates as a sole proprietorship with 11-50 employees, no external investment, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed expansion beyond the Hamburg market.

Name

Life Pharmacy

Legal name

Vita Apotheke Inh. Melanie Tilgner e.K.

Website

https://vita-apotheke-hh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VITA Apotheke is a Hamburg-Eimsbüttel sole proprietorship pharmacy operating 365 days a year from 8:00 to 24:00, serving walk-in retail customers, online shoppers, and B2B healthcare partners with 18,000+ medication SKUs, e-prescription processing, same-day Botendienst delivery until midnight, and clinical services including vaccinations and medication reviews.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Pharmacy

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Pharmacy Omnichannel (CRAFAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pharmacy & Health Essentials Delivery (CRAFAFAI)

Keywords

• Retail pharmacy
• Prescription dispensing
• Over-the-counter medicines
• Pharmaceutical retail
• Health and beauty retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Sales: Retail sale of medications (prescription and over-the-counter), health products, medical devices, and cosmetics through physical store and online shop
2. Prescription Processing: Processing of public health insurance prescriptions (Kassenrezept) and private prescriptions (Privatrezept) with standard processing fees
3. Delivery Service: Same-day delivery service within Hamburg, with free delivery for customers with Kundenkarte loyalty card
4. Customer Loyalty Program: Kundenkarte program offering bonus points (Payback) and benefits including free delivery

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VITA Apotheke (Life Pharmacy) is an independent retail pharmacy in Hamburg, Germany, that sells prescription and over-the-counter medications, health products, and beauty/personal care items to walk-in customers. The store operates 365 days a year between 08:00 and 24:00, providing extended-access pharmaceutical dispensing and retail health-product sales to local individual consumers. The business is registered as a sole proprietorship (e.K.) under owner Melanie Tilgner.

Product overview

VITA Apotheke is a German pharmacy (Apotheke) operating as an integrated physical retail and e-commerce pharmacy under owner Melanie Tilgner. The core offering consists of the VITA Apotheke Online Shop (shop.vita-apotheke-hh.de) combined with the E-Rezept (E-Prescription) Service for digital prescription handling. The product portfolio is extended by value-added services including Botendienst (delivery service) offering same-day and late-night delivery until midnight, a Kundenkarte (customer loyalty card) program integrated with Payback, Medikamenten-Check (medication review), Impf-Service (vaccination), Terminbuchung (online appointment booking), and Herstellung (pharmaceutical compounding). Product sub-categories include Kosmetik (dermocosmetics from brands like Avène, Caudalie, CeraVe, Roche Posay, Eucerin), Nahrungsergänzung (nutritional supplements), Medizinisches Cannabis (medical cannabis), Pflegehilfsmittel (care aids), and Geräte-Verleih (equipment rental). The pharmacy holds over 18,000 medication items in stock and operates 365 days a year from 8:00 to 24:00.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prescription medication dispensing Dispensing of prescription-only pharmaceutical products to patients presenting valid prescriptions; subject to German Apothekenpflicht regulations and offered in-store during opening hours.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and health products Retail sale of non-prescription medications, remedies, and general health products to walk-in consumers.
• Beauty and personal care products Retail sale of cosmetics and personal care items alongside pharmaceutical offerings, typical of a German Vor-Ort-Apotheke assortment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 18,000 different medications in stock
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Noventi Health SEcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware provider for pharmacy management system (PROKAS). Handles customer card program data processing and management. AVV (Data Processing Agreement) under Art. 28 DS-GVO established. Data stored locally on-premise with no third-country transfers.
• no-q GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides online appointment booking system for pharmacy services. Processes customer names, contact details, and appointment information. AVV under Art. 28 DS-GVO established. Enables customers to book service appointments online.
• Aaron GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationAI telephone assistant provider handling phone inquiries. Processes customer phone numbers, names, birthdates, insurance information, reasons for calling, appointments, medication orders, voice recordings, and other call details. AVV under Art. 28 DS-GVO established. Data retained for 60 days.
• DHL Paket GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping and delivery partner for online orders. Customer name and delivery address transmitted for parcel delivery. Handles pharmaceutical product shipments within Germany.
• PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment processing partner for online shop transactions. Handles secure payment processing for credit card and PayPal transactions. Privacy policy compliant with EU standards.
• CleverReach GmbH & Co. KGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNewsletter and email marketing platform provider. Processes subscriber email addresses, confirmation data, and IP addresses. Double-Opt-In process for GDPR compliance. Data stored within EU.
• Brandzocial GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite design, conception, and implementation partner for both main website (vita-apotheke-hh.de) and online shop (shop.vita-apotheke-hh.de).
• WhatsApp Ireland LimitedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhatsApp Business platform provider for customer communication. Processes customer messages and phone numbers. Data transfer to USA via Meta subsidiary. Warning issued not to send sensitive health data via WhatsApp.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• medpex: German online pharmacy with broad OTC, prescription, and beauty assortment, plus home delivery. Comparable as a direct online pharmacy alternative to Vita Apotheke's online shop.
• mycare.de: German online pharmacy selling prescription and OTC medications plus cosmetics and homeopathy with home delivery. Comparable as a direct online pharmacy peer for non-store customers.
• Aponeo: Berlin-based German online pharmacy selling prescription and OTC medicines with delivery. Comparable online pharmacy competing in the same German e-pharmacy market.
• Medikamente-per-Klick.de: German online pharmacy focused on OTC, prescription, and pharmacy-only products with home delivery. Comparable online pharmacy competitor for Vita Apotheke's e-commerce channel.
• Sanicare: Established German online pharmacy offering prescription, OTC, and healthcare product home delivery. Directly comparable on online pharmacy ordering and dispatch model.
• DocMorris: Major online pharmacy serving Germany and other European countries with prescription and OTC delivery. Comparable as a digital-first pharmacy competing for the same online medication customer.
• Redcare Pharmacy (Shop Apotheke Europe): One of Europe's largest online pharmacies, operating a marketplace for prescription and OTC medications with home delivery across Germany and other EU markets. Most directly comparable on e-commerce pharmacy and delivery dimensions.

Broad incumbents

• dm drogerie markt: Germany's largest drugstore chain with broad personal care, OTC, and supplement assortment across hundreds of physical stores plus online. Comparable as an established omnichannel health-and-personal-care retailer, though without the regulated prescription dispensing capability.
• Rossmann: Major German drugstore chain combining physical stores with online retail across OTC, personal care, supplements, and cosmetics. Comparable as a large omnichannel health retailer operating in the same category spaces (cosmetics, supplements, OTC) as Vita Apotheke.

Emerging players

• EasyApotheke: Discount-format pharmacy chain combining physical stores with an online shop focused on value pricing of OTC and pharmacy products. Comparable as a hybrid physical-plus-online pharmacy model targeting similar everyday health needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vita.apotheke
• Instagraminstagram.com/vita.apotheke/?hl=de

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 Life Pharmacy