CWG ‘exploits’ loophole
January 11, 2016
A SCATHING opinion piece
published by Financial Review
columnist, Tony Boyd, has blasted
Chemist Warehouse,
alleging the mega
discount pharmacy
chain is “exploiting
loopholes in
restrictive government
regulations” to
“disrupt the $13
billion retail pharmacy
industry”.
Currently, the law prohibits
pharmacists from owning more
than six pharmacies in any one
state or territory; however Boyd
comments that Chemist Warehouse
has - like global technology
platforms Uber and Airbnb -
defiantly bypassed the laws, and
“controls” about 300 pharmacies in
the country, bringing in an annual
revenue of $2.7 billion.
“This is an impressive
achievement considering it was
done in defiance of the country’s
most powerful small business
lobby, the Pharmacy Guild of
Australia,” writes Boyd.
“It appears to make a mockery of
government regulation designed
to protect the thousands of small
businesses run by individual
pharmacists”.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
posted the article on its Facebook
page, inviting followers to weigh in
on the subject.
The post gathered more than 100
shares, 200 likes and inspired a
heated debate on the page.
“Once corporations swallow the
community pharmacy industry, it
will only be a matter of time before
service and standards
of care are reduced,”
commented Brisbane based
Pharmacist,
Tim Plunkett.
“The big losers
will be small
business owners,
the community who
receive primary
healthcare in pharmacist, and those
in remote locations,” he continued.
Union group Professional
Pharmacists Australia has since
joined the conversation, inviting
employee pharmacists at Chemist
Warehouse to “set real change
in motion” by getting in contact
to discuss their opinions on the
controversial topic.
Chemist Warehouse Group told
Pharmacy Daily it did not wish to
comment.
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