Ratsapotheke
Ratsapotheke is a sole-proprietor community pharmacy in Wismar, Germany, operating from the city's market square since 1521. It serves local residents with prescription dispensing, OTC products, in-house compounded medications, pharmaceutical consultations, and free 20km delivery via a hybrid in-store, app, and online shop model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersWismar, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ratsapotheke does
Ratsapotheke (legal name: Rats Apotheke Wismar Inh. Jan Ploen) is a privately-held community pharmacy operating as a sole proprietorship under owner Jan Ploen from its historic location at Am Markt 2a in the Wismar market square, where it has been continuously situated since 1521, making it the oldest pharmacy in the Hanseatic city. The business serves local residents of Wismar and surrounding communities within an approximate 20km radius, offering prescription dispensing, over-the-counter medications, and professional pharmaceutical services including medication interaction checking, inhalation counseling, skin care consultations, blood pressure measurement, and travel/vaccination advice. The pharmacy operates an in-house laboratory that produces individual Rezepturen (custom-compounded prescriptions) tailored to patient-specific needs, a capability that differentiates it from standard chain competitors.
The business runs a hybrid physical-and-digital model. The walk-in storefront operates Monday-Friday 8:00-18:00 and Saturday 9:00-14:00, complemented by telephone, fax, and email ordering. Digital channels include a third-party e-commerce storefront on ptcloud.de and integration with the Meine Apotheke mobile app (Pharmatechnik) for prescription upload and pre-ordering on iOS and Android. A free same-day Botendienst (delivery) service within 20km of Wismar for orders placed before 1 PM Monday-Friday extends the pharmacy's reach to mobility-limited and elderly patients. Additional digital offerings include free vaccination certificate digitization and an Immunkarte credit-card-format vaccination record service.
The revenue model is primarily transactional: dispensing fees and margins on prescription medications (statutorily regulated under German health insurance frameworks) and OTC products such as the Avene skincare line, supplemented by fee-based pharmaceutical consultation services. The customer base is exclusively a long-tail of individual consumers in the Wismar catchment area; no enterprise, B2B, or institutional customers are disclosed. The company has no subsidiaries, no parent entity, no funding history, and no M&A activity, operating as an independent single-location business.
Ratsapotheke firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ratsapotheke
- Legal name
- Rats Apotheke Wismar Inh. Jan Ploen
- Website
- https://ratsapotheke-wismar.de
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ratsapotheke is a sole-proprietor community pharmacy in Wismar, Germany, operating from the city's market square since 1521. It serves local residents with prescription dispensing, OTC products, in-house compounded medications, pharmaceutical consultations, and free 20km delivery via a hybrid in-store, app, and online shop model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ratsapotheke industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Pharmacy
- NAICS
- Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611)
- SIC
- Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OTC, Vitamins & Supplement Management (HSABALAM)
Keywords
Where Ratsapotheke is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wismar
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ratsapotheke business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Prescription Medications: Revenue from filled prescriptions for medications covered by health insurance and private prescriptions.
- Over-the-Counter (OTC) Products: Revenue from non-prescription medications, health products, skincare products (e.g., Avene), and wellness items sold directly at the pharmacy.
- Pharmaceutical Services: Fee-based pharmaceutical consulting services including medication reviews, compatibility checks, inhalation medication counseling, and skin care consultations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free delivery service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ratsapotheke product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ratsapotheke is a community pharmacy that dispenses prescription and over-the-counter medications, performs pharmaceutical consultations including interaction and compatibility checks, and compounds individual prescription formulations in its in-house laboratory. It supplements in-person service with free same-day home delivery within a 20km radius of Wismar, online ordering through ptcloud.de, and prescription pre-ordering via the Meine Apotheke mobile app.
Product overview
Ratsapotheke is a traditional community pharmacy offering a hybrid service model combining physical in-store services with digital channels. The core offering consists of pharmaceutical consultations, medication dispensing, and custom compounding (individual Rezepturen). Digital services include an online shop (ptcloud.de platform), the Meine Apotheke app for prescription pre-ordering, digital vaccination certificates, and the Immunkarte. A key convenience feature is the free Botendienst (home delivery) service within 20km. All services are delivered at their historic location at Am Markt 2a, Wismar, since 1521.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Botendienst (Home Delivery Service) Free home delivery service for medications within a 20km radius of Wismar. Orders placed Monday-Friday before 1 PM are delivered the same day, serving customers who cannot easily visit the pharmacy in person, including elderly and mobility-limited patients.
- Online Shop (ptcloud.de) Third-party e-commerce storefront allowing customers to order medications and pharmacy products online from home, integrated with the pharmacy's Botendienst home delivery service.
- Meine Apotheke App Mobile application (by Pharmatechnik) for prescription pre-ordering. Users can upload prescriptions, receive order notifications, and choose between pharmacy pickup or home delivery. Available on Google Play and Apple App Store.
- Pharmaceutical Services Range of professional pharmaceutical services including free blood pressure measurement, inhalation medication counseling, medication review for interactions and incompatibilities, skin care counseling (e.g., Avene), travel and vaccination counseling, and night/emergency pharmacy service.
- Individual Compounding (Individuelle Rezepturen) Custom medication compounding prepared in the pharmacy's own laboratory to meet individual patient prescription requirements not met by commercially available products.
- Digital Vaccination Certificates (Digital Impfzertifikate) Free digitization of vaccination documents with transfer to the customer's mobile phone, enabling digital storage and presentation of vaccination records.
- Immunkarte (Immune Card) Vaccination proof in practical credit card format; the pharmacy handles ordering the immune card as a portable wallet-sized vaccination record.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free delivery for orders placed before 1 PM Monday-Friday within 20km
Companies that use Ratsapotheke
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ratsapotheke technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Ratsapotheke partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Meine Apotheke (Pharmatechnik)coreIntegration with the Meine Apotheke mobile app platform developed by Pharmatechnik, enabling prescription upload, medication pre-ordering, and digital pharmacy services. App available on both Google Play and Apple App Store.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ratsapotheke competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Aponeo: Berlin-based online pharmacy offering OTC, prescription, and natural medicine with nationwide delivery; comparable in that it competes for the same digitally native OTC and personal-care customer segment in Wismar.
- Apotal: German online pharmacy offering prescription, OTC, and pharmacy-only (apothekenpflichtige) products with delivery; overlapping customer base with Ratsapotheke in the OTC and self-pay prescription segment.
- Deutsche Medizin.me: Smaller German online pharmacy/marketplace offering prescription and OTC with direct-to-home delivery; comparable as a smaller-scale online-only competitor pursuing the same mail-order prescription customers as Ratsapotheke.
Others
- Pharmatechnik: Provider of pharmacy IT, ERP, and the Meine Apotheke app used by Ratsapotheke; relevant as the enabling technology and ecosystem partner whose roadmap directly shapes Ratsapotheke's digital capability.
- Meine Apotheke (Pharmatechnik): App platform and digital ecosystem provider for independent German pharmacies; Ratsapotheke is itself a partner/tenant of this network, so it represents a structural peer of the digital ordering layer rather than a direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Shop Apotheke: Major German/European online pharmacy chain with broad OTC and prescription assortment plus home delivery; directly competes with Ratsapotheke for non-urgent prescription transfers and OTC price-sensitive customers.
- DocMorris: Largest online mail-order pharmacy in Germany (part of DocMorris N.V.), competing directly with Ratsapotheke on prescription and OTC fulfillment for the Wismar catchment via nationwide delivery and lower price positioning.
Direct peers
- EasyApotheke: Discount pharmacy retail chain combining physical stores with online ordering; closest comparable to Ratsapotheke on multi-channel, low-price, walk-in + delivery hybrid model, though at significantly larger scale.
- Sanicare: Mail-order pharmacy with strong prescription delivery focus in Germany; competes with Ratsapotheke for chronic-illness patients willing to switch prescription fulfillment from local to online.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ratsapotheke social profiles
Digital presenceRatsapotheke financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ratsapotheke leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ratsapotheke funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ratsapotheke M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ratsapotheke
What does Ratsapotheke do?
Ratsapotheke is a community pharmacy that dispenses prescription and over-the-counter medications, performs pharmaceutical consultations including interaction and compatibility checks, and compounds individual prescription formulations in its in-house laboratory. It supplements in-person service with free same-day home delivery within a 20km radius of Wismar, online ordering through ptcloud.de, and prescription pre-ordering via the Meine Apotheke mobile app.
Is Ratsapotheke a public or private company?
Ratsapotheke is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ratsapotheke founded?
Ratsapotheke was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ratsapotheke based?
Ratsapotheke is headquartered in Wismar, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Ratsapotheke make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Prescription Medications are the primary driver. The others are over-the-Counter (OTC) Products and pharmaceutical Services.
Who are Ratsapotheke's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Aponeo, Apotal and Deutsche Medizin.me. Others are Pharmatechnik and Meine Apotheke (Pharmatechnik). Broad incumbents are Shop Apotheke and DocMorris. Direct peers are EasyApotheke and Sanicare.
Does Ratsapotheke have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ratsapotheke.
What industry is Ratsapotheke in?
Ratsapotheke's product category is Retail Pharmacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSABALAM, OTC, Vitamins & Supplement Management. Its NAICS code is 45611 and its SIC code is 5912.