Pill Pharmacies & Drugstores

What Pill Pharmacies & Drugstores does

Pill Apotheken & Drogerien operates a multi-location retail pharmacy and drugstore chain in Switzerland under the holding company Pill Group AG, headquartered at Oberdorfstrasse 2, Pfäffikon SZ. Founded in 2004 (confirmed by a 2019 15th-anniversary reference), the business runs more than twenty branches and associated-partner outlets across Switzerland, including named locations such as Pill Apotheke am Bahnhof, Pill Apotheke Zentrum, Pill Apotheke Montana, Pill Apotheke Glärnisch, and the smaller-format Pill Drogerie shops, plus partner locations such as Sonnen Apotheke, Reform-Drogerie Aarau, and Pill Apoteca & Drogaria Marcau. Its functional offering combines conventional dispensing (Schulmedizin) with complementary medicine (Komplementärmedizin) — health consulting, natural remedies, vaccinations, diagnostic measurements (blood pressure, blood sugar), food-intolerance / leaky-gut testing, and themed health checks — alongside retail sale of OTC products, supplements, and cosmetics.

The product portfolio centers on two own-brand lines: Erva Nahrungsergänzungsmittel, a broad nutritional-supplement range (10+ SKUs including Erva Multivit Plus, Magnesium Calcium Zink, Schwarzkümmelöl, Kurkuma, Zimaselen, Krillöl, Heidelbeere Plus, Herz Aktiv, Stress Relax, IntestAid), distributed primarily in-store and increasingly via Reformhaus.ch; and Pill Kosmetik, an own-brand cosmetics line spanning eye, face, hand/nail, and body care, which has migrated its e-commerce presence to the Reformhaus.ch platform. The group's technology footprint is conventional: no proprietary platform, no public APIs or SDKs, a CMS-based pill.ch site operated by web vendor digicube AG (Liechtenstein), and standard Swiss pharmacy back-office operations.

Revenue is generated across three streams: (1) one-time retail product sales of pharmacy, drugstore, supplements, and own-brand items through physical stores and online; (2) professional services including vaccinations, diagnostics, and consultations; and (3) transaction-fee style direct billing to Swiss basic and supplementary health insurers for covered services, with patient co-payment for non-covered items. The go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-consumer, Switzerland-only, segmented horizontally — primarily mass-market consumers seeking health advice and products, with secondary insurance-covered service flow. Marketing is content-led through a blog (Wissen), Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram channels. The company is privately held under Pill Group AG with no public ticker, no funding rounds disclosed, no M&A activity disclosed, and is fully GDPR / Swiss DPA compliant.

Name

Pill Pharmacies & Drugstores

Legal name

Pill Group AG

Website

https://pill.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pill Apotheken & Drogerien operates a 20+ branch retail pharmacy and drugstore chain in Switzerland under Pill Group AG, offering prescription and OTC medications, own-brand supplements (Erva) and cosmetics (Pill Kosmetik), plus health services including vaccinations, diagnostics, and complementary-medicine consultations to general Swiss consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Pharmacy and Drugstore

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611)

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Discount Drugstores (Value-Focused Chain Pharmacies) (CRAEAHAA), Health & Pharmacy Omnichannel (CRAFAEAK)

Keywords

• Retail pharmacy services
• Drugstore products
• Complementary medicine
• Nutritional supplements
• Health diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

Pfäffikon

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmacy and drugstore product sales: Retail sales of pharmacy products, drugstore items, health supplements, cosmetics, and own-brand products (Erva, Pill Kosmetik) through physical stores and online shop.
2. Health services: Professional health services including vaccinations, health consultations, diagnostic measurements (blood pressure, blood sugar), health checks, and other advisory services.
3. Health insurance billing: Direct billing to health insurance companies (basic and supplementary insurance) for covered health services, with customer payment for non-covered portions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pill Apotheken & Drogerien operates a chain of physical pharmacy and drugstore locations across Switzerland, dispensing prescription and over-the-counter medications, drugstore items, complementary medicine products, own-brand nutritional supplements (Erva), and own-brand cosmetics (Pill Kosmetik). The chain also provides professional in-store health services including vaccinations, diagnostic measurements (blood pressure, blood sugar), health checks, food intolerance testing, and personalized health consultations that combine conventional medicine with complementary medicine. Revenue is generated from retail product sales, professional service fees, and direct billing to Swiss health insurance providers for covered services.

Product overview

Pill Apotheken & Drogerien operates a network of physical pharmacy and drugstore locations across Switzerland under the Pill Group AG parent company. The product portfolio consists of two main proprietary brands—Pill Kosmetik (cosmetics line) distributed through Reformhaus.ch, and Erva Nahrungsergänzungsmittel (supplements line)—alongside a comprehensive range of pharmacy and drugstore services including health analysis checks, vaccinations, diagnostic measurements, and food intolerance testing. The company combines conventional medicine with complementary medicine approaches and offers both in-store consultations and an online shopping platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pill Kosmetik: Cosmetics product line sold through Reformhaus.ch
• Erva

Products and services

• Pill Kosmetik Own-brand cosmetics product line covering eye care, facial care, hand and nail care, and body care products, distributed through the Reformhaus.ch online shop.
• Erva Nutritional Supplements Own-brand nutritional supplement line including multivitamins, minerals, nucleotides, herbal and specialty formulations such as Erva Multivit Plus, Erva Magnesium Calcium Zink, Erva Schwarzkümmelöl, Erva Kurkuma, Erva Zimaselen, Erva Krillöl, Erva Heidelbeere Plus, Erva Herz Aktiv, Erva Stress Relax, and Erva Essigsaure Tonerde.
• Pill Apotheken & Drogerien Retail Pharmacy and Drugstore Network Chain of physical pharmacy and drugstore locations across Switzerland providing prescription and over-the-counter medications, drugstore items, complementary medicine products, and professional health consultations combining conventional and complementary medicine approaches.
• Health Analysis Services Standalone in-pharmacy health analysis checks including cold check, intimate discomfort check, head lice check, headache check, back check, sweating check, bladder check, and eye pressure measurement, offered as a discrete paid service at retail locations.
• Vaccination Services Vaccination services administered in pharmacy locations, including flu shots and other immunizations, with health insurance billing where applicable.
• Leaky Gut and Food Intolerance Diagnostic Services Food intolerance and gut-health testing services including lactulose-mannitol test, zonulin test, secretory IgA testing, and general intolerance consultation, performed at pharmacy locations.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ReformhauscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPill Apotheken & Drogerien partners with Reformhaus for online distribution of Pill Kosmetik and Erva own-brand products. The partnership enables customers to access Pill products through Reformhaus.ch's established online platform, combining Pill's product quality with Reformhaus's retail reach.
• Sonnen ApothekeminorOthersSonnen Apotheke operates as an associated partner within the Pill Apotheken & Drogerien network, representing a collaborative partnership within the pharmacy group.
• Reform-Drogerie AarauminorOthersReform-Drogerie Aarau is listed as an associated partner location within the Pill Apotheken & Drogerien network, indicating a collaborative relationship.
• Pill Apoteca & Drogaria MarcauminorOthersPill Apoteca & Drogaria Marcau is listed as a partner location, suggesting international or cross-border partnership within the Pill network.
• A.VogelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPill Apotheken recommends A.Vogel products including Echinaforce Forte and Echinaforce Junior for immune support and cold prevention. A.Vogel is a manufacturer of natural remedies.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• DocMorris: European online pharmacy (formerly Zur Rose), now operating in the Swiss/NL/German market with direct-to-patient e-commerce and telemedicine. Comparable to Pill as a Swiss pharmacy-distributing entity but competing via a digital-first model.
• MediService: Swiss specialty/homecare pharmacy focused on chronic-disease medication management. Comparable to Pill in operating a regulated Swiss pharmacy with insurance billing and clinical service components.

Direct peers

• Amavita: One of the largest Swiss pharmacy chains (~180 branches), owned by Galenica. Directly comparable to Pill as a multi-branch retail pharmacy in Switzerland with similar prescription dispensing and over-the-counter services.
• Sun Store: Swiss pharmacy chain (Galenica group) operating value-positioned drugstores. Comparable to Pill on multi-location retail pharmacy operations and consumer health services in Switzerland.
• TopPharm: Swiss pharmacy cooperation network of independent owners with centralized branding and services. Comparable to Pill as a multi-branch Swiss community pharmacy group offering conventional and complementary health advice.

Others

• Reformhaus: Specialty retail partner for natural health, supplements, and complementary medicine. Directly comparable to Pill as both an adjacent retailer and the operational partner running Pill's online distribution of Erva and Pill Kosmetik.
• Apotheke Sun Store Galenica: Listed Swiss distributor and pharmacy owner providing wholesale logistics, own-brand manufacturing, and retail pharmacy data infrastructure. Comparable to Pill Group AG at the holding-infrastructure level via own-brand product exposure and supply-chain operations.

Broad incumbents

• BENU Apotheken: International pharmacy chain with a meaningful Swiss footprint. Comparable to Pill as a multi-branch retail pharmacy operator with broad consumer health and prescription offerings.
• Galenica: Swiss healthcare group and owner of the Amavita/Sun Store pharmacy chains, plus wholesale (Alloga) and pharma services. Comparable to Pill's parent Pill Group AG as the dominant listed Swiss pharmacy holding structure with retail, services, and own-brand product exposure.

Regional players

• Coop Vitality: Swiss pharmacy format integrated with Coop retail (health-insurance partnership). Comparable to Pill as another domestic pharmacy model combining retail footprint with health-insurance billing and consumer health services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pillapotheken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pill-apotheken-drogerien
• Instagraminstagram.com/pillapothekendrogerien

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Pill Pharmacies & Drugstores