Penta Investments, the Central European investment group, has agreed with Celesio AG to acquire its Lloyds pharmacy chain and Gehe wholesale distributor. The purchase price reached EUR 84.5 million.
Lloyds operates 55 pharmacies and is the third largest pharmacy chain in the Czech Republic, while Gehe is the fourth biggest wholesale pharmaceutical distributor in the Czech Republic. The transaction is subject to the Czech antitrust authority clearance.
The Lloyds pharmacies will be integrated into Ceska lekarna, a.s, which operates the Dr. Max pharmacy chain on the Czech market.
“We are consolidating pharmacies in Central Europe through Dr. Max and its local platforms. The Lloyds pharmacies and an important distributor Gehe have therefore been a very reasonable target for us. We strongly believe that market consolidation in the pharmacy sector significantly contributes to better quality and accessibility of services for patients,” said Václav Jirků, Investment Director at Penta.
“The integration of Lloyds pharmacies will support our efforts to become the most accessible pharmacy chain in terms of price and location, while the Gehe acquisition is an opportunity to implement our successful Dr. Max business model to the wholesale market. We plan to attract Gehe’s independent clients with strategies similar to those we used in the retail market, namely competitive price and services,” said Pavel Vajskebr, Dr. Max’s CEO.
About Lloyds
Lekarny Lloyds s.r.o. was established in 1993 and acquired by the current owner (the Celesio Group) in 2000.
Third biggest pharmacy chain in the Czech Republic, operating 55 pharmacies with a total turnover of EUR 55.7 million.
A diversified pharmacy portfolio, with most of the locations in shopping centres, communities and policlinics.
About Gehe
GEHE Pharma Praha, spol. s r.o. is the fourth largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in the Czech Republic, with a 17% market share and a revenue of EUR 420 million.
About Dr. Max
Dr. Max is one of the biggest pharmacy chains in Central Europe. It is a market leader in the Czech Republic (20% market share) and Slovakia (15%) and one of the biggest chains in Poland.
- Over 450 pharmacies in the chain
- Over 80,000 customers served daily
- Over 2,000 employees