City Pharmacy Group

What City Pharmacy Group does

City Pharmacy Group (CPL Group) is Papua New Guinea's largest multi-format retail group, operating a national network of pharmacies, medical clinics, hardware stores, and fashion/lifestyle outlets under a portfolio of consumer brands. Founded in 1987 by Sir Mahesh Patel and Alan Jarvis and listed on the Port Moresby Stock Exchange (PNGX:CPL) since 2002, the group has accumulated a 38-year operating history across PNG's Highlands, Islands, and mainland regions.

CPL operates through distinct retail formats: City Pharmacy (community pharmacy), City Pharmacy Medical Clinic and the City Pharmacy Wellness Medical Center (primary care), CPL MedLabs (diagnostics), Hardware Haus (hardware and home improvement), Jack's of PNG (department store), and Prouds PNG (fashion and jewelry). The Real Rewards loyalty program underpins repeat-customer economics, and the Bon Café brand is operated alongside the retail core. The group employs more than 3,000 staff across retail, logistics, pharmacy, customer service, and administration, and holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 accreditations awarded in 2022.

Revenue is generated primarily through direct-to-consumer sales across the physical retail footprint, supplemented by wholesale and logistics infrastructure and — increasingly — clinical and diagnostic service fees. The 2025 divestiture of Stop & Shop Supermarkets to Taylor Pacific Limited marked an explicit exit from grocery and a refocus of capital toward the healthcare and pharmacy core, reinforced by 2026 partnerships with the IFC (World Bank Group) for digital health transformation, the CPTA for cocoa-sector healthcare delivery, and Kumul Organics for SME/local-producer integration. New leadership (CEO Ajay Patel, Board Chair Stephanie Copus-Campbell) was installed in 2026 to execute the repositioning.

Name

City Pharmacy Group

Legal name

City Pharmacy Group Limited

Website

https://cpl.com.pg

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

City Pharmacy Group is Papua New Guinea's largest multi-format retail group, operating pharmacies, medical clinics, hardware stores, and fashion outlets nationwide since 1987. Listed on PNGX (PNGX:CPL) and employing 3,000+ staff, it serves PNG consumers across 18+ cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Pharmacy and Healthcare Services

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Discount Drugstores with Clinics (Retail Health Clinics) (CRAEAHAE), Pharmacy & Health Clinic Store-in-Store (CRAGAHAK)

Keywords

• Retail pharmacy services
• Primary healthcare clinics
• Diagnostic laboratory services
• Hardware retail chain
• Fashion retail stores

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Moresby

HQ country

Papua New Guinea

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales - Pharmacy: Sale of pharmaceutical products, health supplements, personal care items, and wellness products through City Pharmacy retail outlets.
2. Healthcare Services: Revenue from medical clinic consultations, diagnostic services, laboratory tests, radiology, and clinical procedures at City Pharmacy Medical Clinics.
3. Hardware and Home Improvement Retail: Sale of hardware products, home improvement materials, and building supplies through Hardware Haus retail stores.
4. Fashion and Lifestyle Retail: Revenue from Jack's of PNG fashion stores and Prouds PNG duty-free and retail outlets.
5. Loyalty Program - Real Rewards: Customer loyalty program earning points on purchases redeemable for products and member-only offers. Points are earned at City Pharmacy and Hardware Haus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

City Pharmacy Group operates a multi-format retail and healthcare portfolio in Papua New Guinea. Its core offering is the nationwide City Pharmacy retail chain selling pharmaceutical products, personal care, and wellness items, supported by City Pharmacy Medical Clinics and the City Pharmacy Wellness Medical Center providing primary healthcare, diagnostics, dental, optometry, and women's health services. Complementary retail brands include Hardware Haus, Prouds PNG (duty-free/fashion), Jack's of PNG (fashion), and Bon Café (coffee).

Product overview

City Pharmacy Group operates a multi-format retail portfolio centered on pharmacy and healthcare services, complemented by fashion, lifestyle, and hardware retail brands. The core offering consists of City Pharmacy (pharmacy retail) and City Pharmacy Wellness Medical Center (primary healthcare services including consultations, diagnostics, dental, optometry, women's clinic, and laboratory services), supplemented by MedLabs for pathology services and HER Health Hub for cervical cancer screening. The Real Rewards loyalty program links the retail brands. Additional brands include Prouds PNG and Jack's of PNG (fashion/joint venture), Hardware Haus (hardware and home improvement), and Bon Cafe (coffee service), all operated as sub-brands under the CPL Group umbrella. CPL Foundation manages community and ESG initiatives including the Pride of PNG Women Awards and water harvesting projects. CPL exited supermarket operations (Stop & Shop) in 2025 to focus on its core healthcare strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kumul Organics: Coconut oil-infused skincare brand launched in partnership with CPL. Products include virgin coconut-infused oils, herbal soaps, and natural skin and hair care products. Winner of 2020 PNG SME Award for Best Skin and Haircare Product of the Year.

Products and services

• City Pharmacy CPL's flagship pharmacy retail brand operating stores nationwide across Papua New Guinea, offering pharmaceutical products, health and beauty items, personal care products, and wellness merchandise. Locations include Waigani Central, Vision City, and other major retail centres across PNG.
• City Pharmacy Medical Clinic Medical clinic providing healthcare services including general practitioner and specialist consultations, prescription medications, pathology and laboratory services, radiology, dental care, optometry, and occupational health programs. Operates from Vision City with expansion planned for Rainbow (Port Moresby), Dobel Centre (Mt Hagen), Buka, and Lae.
• City Pharmacy Wellness Medical Center A premier healthcare facility offering primary healthcare services (outpatient treatment, doctor consultation, optometry, dental, childcare and immunization, women's clinic, pre-employment and insurance medical assessments), medical procedures (daycare treatment, wound care, X-ray and ultrasound), and laboratory services. Located at Vision City, Port Moresby.
• CPL MedLabs
• Hardware Haus Hardware and home improvement retail chain offering hardware products, home improvement materials, and building supplies. Includes Mitre Hardware stores in Goroka and Mt Hagen, and Home & Living stores including the Home and Living Store at Waigani Central.
• Jack's of PNG Fashion and lifestyle retail stores operating across PNG as a joint venture partner, with stores including locations at Brian Bell Plaza Boroko.
• Prouds PNG Duty-free and retail outlets including the Duty Free Shop at Jackson's International Airport, operating as a joint venture partner for fashion and leisure-based retail in PNG.
• HER Health Hub Cervical Cancer Screening Clinic Cervical cancer screening and HPV testing clinic for women, operated jointly by the CPL Foundation and the Sir Brian Bell Foundation.
• Real Rewards Loyalty Program PNG's first major points-based customer loyalty program rewarding shoppers with points redeemable for products and access to member-only offers and promotions across City Pharmacy and Hardware Haus stores (no longer with Stop & Shop after its divestiture).
• Bon Café Coffee shop brand operating alongside retail locations, providing a branded coffee culture experience to retail customers in PNG.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000 patients reached through primary healthcare outreach programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Province Transport Authority (CPTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2026Clinical Service Provider Partnership Agreement enabling CPTA employees and dependents to access healthcare services at CP Medical Clinic through a direct billing arrangement. Members pay only 10% deductible of treatment cost.
• Kumul OrganicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2026SME partnership under WE PNG BUY PNG Program providing nationwide market access to Kumul Organics coconut oil-infused skincare products. CPL provides retail space, technical advice, and business development support. Products sourced from coconut growers in Gulf and Central Provinces.
• International Finance Corporation (IFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Strategic partnership with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, focusing on three priority areas: primary healthcare expansion planning, quality and operational improvement, and digital health strategy and transformation. The partnership includes collaborative training workshops and advisory support for CPL's wellness medical centres and pharmacies.
• Taylor Pacific LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 February 2026Divestment of Stop & Shop Supermarket chain to Taylor Pacific Limited, marking CPL's strategic exit from the supermarkets segment to focus on core healthcare business.
• Sir Brian Bell FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Joint launch of HER Health Hub, a cervical cancer screening and HPV testing clinic for women, as a partnership between CPL Foundation Inc. and Sir Brian Bell Foundation.
• United Church Urban Region Office (UCURO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025MOU partnership for construction of new City Pharmacy and Bon Café within Metoreia Health Centre premises to enhance healthcare access for the local community.
• Motu Koita AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025MOU partnership supporting the Metoreia City Pharmacy construction project and commitment to deliver health services to the Motu Koita people.
• NCD Provincial Health AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025MOU partnership for Metoreia City Pharmacy construction bridging gaps in accessibility to medicinal drugs and accessories.
• Women's Micro-BankminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2024Partnership providing better member benefits through the CPL Real Rewards loyalty program.
• UN Women PNGminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2024Partnership to uphold Women Empowerment Principles supporting gender equality initiatives in PNG.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Steamships Trading Company: Long-established Papua New Guinea conglomerate with diversified retail, property, and logistics operations. Historically transacted with CPL (sold Stop & Shop in 2005 and Hardware Haus in 2009), making it the closest domestic multi-format retail peer in PNG.
• Brian Bell Group: Papua New Guinea retail and trading group operating consumer-facing stores across multiple categories. Comparable to CPL as a domestic multi-format retailer competing for PNG consumer spend and provincial distribution.
• SAI PNG (HomePlus / Blockbuster PNG): PNG-based retail operator with national store presence in household goods and general merchandise. Comparable to CPL's non-pharmacy retail footprint (Hardware Haus, Jack's of PNG) in serving the same domestic consumer base.

Broad incumbents

• Watsons (AS Watson Group): Asia's largest health and beauty retail chain, operating pharmacy and personal-care stores across multiple Asian markets. Comparable to CPL's City Pharmacy brand as a chain pharmacy operator, but at vastly greater scale and with a broader portfolio.
• CVS Health: US pharmacy and healthcare conglomerate integrating retail pharmacy with clinics (MinuteClinic) and pharmacy benefit management. Comparable to CPL's pharmacy-plus-clinic integration strategy, though operating in a far more developed and regulated market.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance: Global pharmacy-led health and wellness retailer with a multi-country footprint. Comparable to CPL in retail pharmacy operations and in pursuit of pharmacy-to-clinic integration, but at materially larger scale and with international diversification.

Regional players

• Guardian Pharmacy (Malaysia/Singapore): Multi-format pharmacy and health-and-beauty chain in Malaysia/Singapore. Comparable to CPL's City Pharmacy in chain pharmacy operations and integrated retail pharmacy model, though operating in more developed Southeast Asian markets.

Emerging players

• Apollo Pharmacy (Apollo HealthCo): India's largest organized pharmacy retail chain with thousands of outlets. Comparable as a chain pharmacy operator expanding into adjacent healthcare services; both share a model of building pharmacy-led primary care access in emerging Asia.

Others

• Sonic Healthcare: Global medical diagnostics provider with extensive pathology/laboratory networks. Comparable to CPL MedLabs as a diagnostic services operator embedded in a broader healthcare delivery model.
• Oak Street Health (CVS Health): US value-based primary care provider operating clinics focused on senior patients, now part of CVS Health. Comparable to CPL's HER Health Hub and Wellness Medical Center concept as an adjacent example of clinic-led primary care delivery layered on top of pharmacy distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cplgrouppng6144
• Facebookfacebook.com/cplgroupPNG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-pharmacy-limited-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/cpl_group_png

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries11 records

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 City Pharmacy Group