How to open a pharmacy: stages and subtleties of organizing a pharmacy business. How to open a pharmacy: step-by-step instructions for a beginner in the pharmaceutical business

The pharmacy business is one of the most profitable after businesses related to food, alcohol and tobacco. The demand for medicines and related products is growing steadily.

This is partly due to the poor environment, the high concentration of harmful substances in food, and people’s closer attention to their health. The average pharmacy receipt is quite comparable to the average supermarket receipt.

At first glance, this market segment seems closed and quite difficult to enter. In reality this is not the case at all. Previously, indeed, pharmacies were purely family businesses, and administrative barriers to the pharmacy business were difficult to overcome.

Now, if a person has sufficient initial capital and the necessary business qualities, he often begins to wonder how to open a pharmacy from scratch and where to start.

Pharmacies can be of several types, namely:

• Pharmacy;
• pharmacy store or kiosk;
• pharmacy of prepared drugs;
• industrial pharmacy;
• pharmacy with the right to produce aseptic drugs.

It is better to choose from the first three options. And the pharmacy of ready-made drugs here has the widest range of functions, including the ability to sell prescription drugs.

By opening a pharmacy, you will also take care of the prospects for further business expansion. For example, you can open several pharmacy points, and the pharmacy will become their head office.

Documents required to open a pharmacy

In order to open a pharmacy, you need the following documents:

• obtain a license to sell medicines at retail;
• obtain permission from the fire department;
• contact the SES and obtain a sanitary passport for the premises and permission to use it as a pharmacy.

Even if you collect documents at maximum speed and with all your might, it will take at least a month and a half.

Form of trade organization

First, you need to decide whether the display will be closed, when the goods are behind the glass of the display case, or open, when customers can take the goods themselves, like in a supermarket.

Of course, a closed display is safer, but open display immediately increases sales by 20-30%. But these figures only work for pharmacies located in busy, crowded areas with traffic of more than 10 thousand people per day. If traffic is less, then open display will not lead to a significant increase in profits.

What does it take to open a pharmacy from scratch?

Premises requirements

Although many people strive to open a pharmacy in the city center, near the metro or in a large shopping center, most people still prefer to visit the pharmacy closest to their home.

At the same time, slightly higher prices than competitors are usually not taken into account. That's why the best place to open a pharmacy will be a residential area, quite lively and densely populated.

The minimum area of ​​the room should be 75-80 square meters, which will include:

• shopping room;
• place to store drugs;
• place for staff.

It would be good if there were also an office for the manager and accountant, an archive, and a utility block.

When choosing finishing materials, you should remember that the pharmacy will be regularly wet cleaned using disinfectants. Pharmacy floors are usually either tiled or covered with linoleum with welded seams.

Medicines need to be stored in a sterile clean room. We must not forget that different drugs require different storage conditions. Some medicines are afraid of heat, others are afraid of light, and others require a certain level of humidity.

The premises must have an alarm system (security, fire, light and sound) and ventilation. Where goods are stored there must be sensors that monitor air parameters.

And this is only part of the requirements that need to be taken into account when opening a pharmacy. Just bringing the original premises into proper shape will require at least tens of thousands of dollars.

It is much more profitable to rent a premises than to purchase it as a property. It is better to conclude an agreement with a fixed monthly payment for 1-2 years. This will save your business from economic instability and other external factors.

equipment requirements

The minimum equipment for a pharmacy will cost you 5-8 thousand dollars. To get started you will need:

If this equipment is not available, you simply will not be issued a license to open a pharmacy.

Personnel requirements

Personnel requirements will be quite simple. The pharmacy manager must have a higher pharmaceutical education and work experience in this field for at least 3 years.

The same applies to individual entrepreneurs. An individual entrepreneur will not be able to open a pharmacy without pharmaceutical education. However, an entrepreneur can compensate for his lack of pharmaceutical education by hiring a pharmacist with at least 5 years of experience in the specialty.

Similar requirements apply to all other personnel who work with the storage, reception, dispensing, production and destruction of medicines.

In principle, all pharmacy employees must have a higher pharmaceutical education. The only exception can be made for cleaners.

Once every 5 years, all employees are required to undergo advanced training.

Two categories of people go to the pharmacy. Some come after a doctor’s appointment and clearly know what medicine they want to buy. Others focus on existing symptoms. Therefore, they need detailed professional advice.

Friendly and competent staff is largely the key to success. If you cannot find suitable personnel, you can contact a recruitment agency.

Purchasing and assortment

In order for the range to be as wide and rich as possible, it is worth purchasing drugs from several distributors at once. A large network of pharmacies allows you to purchase medications at significant discounts.

If you plan to open only one pharmacy, you can team up with other single pharmacies to create a purchasing cooperative and receive discounts.

It is better for a single pharmacy to attract potential customers not with prices (since it will be simply unrealistic to extract favorable prices from distributors), but to work in a fundamentally different direction - to expand the range as much as possible and offer detailed professional advice to customers.

It is better not to limit yourself only to the sale of medicines and basic medical devices (thermometers, heating pads, tonometers, etc.), but to also include cosmetics, hygiene products, food supplements, dietary and baby food, and so on.

The markup on most medical drugs is usually limited by the state (for different items it will be 20-40%), but related products can be sold at any cost.

Software

An electronic accounting system will greatly optimize your work, so you should choose it especially carefully. There are special companies where you can buy ready-made software modules or order an individual program taking into account specific wishes and needs.

In order to place such an order, you must first clearly define the functions that the system should perform. For example, this could be creating electronic orders for suppliers, conducting economic analytics, tracking the expiration dates of goods, their stock balances, and so on.

How much does it cost to open a pharmacy?

Opening a medium-sized pharmacy will require an initial capital of at least 1.5 -2 million rubles. These funds will be used to purchase shelving, display cases, medicines, furniture, refrigerators, safes, computers, to conclude a lease agreement, paperwork, and advertising.

Estimated profitability

Profit will depend on many factors, including: the place where you decide to open a pharmacy, the size of the residential area or settlement, the presence or absence of other pharmacies nearby, the size of the rent, the prices of suppliers.

If all circumstances are successful, the invested costs will pay off in six months to a year. However, even if a pharmacy pays for itself more slowly, it is still worth the money invested in it, because medications are in stable demand.

In Russia, the profitability of pharmacies is usually 10%. This, of course, is not much. But for experienced entrepreneurs, pharmacies are still attractive. The fact is that only pharmacy chains provide truly high profits, and it is they who become the target of astute businessmen.

To the question “Is it profitable to open a pharmacy in Russia?” in 99% of cases, practitioners of this business will answer in the affirmative.

Pharmacy advertising

If you plan to open only one pharmacy, advertising cannot have a significant impact on profit margins, even if the advertising campaign is carried out through all channels: television, radio, the Internet, in newspapers, using advertising posters.

If the pharmacy is located in a residential area, then advertising aimed at local residents will give good results. For example, you can place signs leading to the pharmacy nearby, or periodically distribute flyers through mailboxes.

Medicines are a sought-after product, and business on them is profitable. Many entrepreneurs are interested in how much it costs to open a pharmacy from scratch. When organizing a business, it is difficult with registration and purchasing, but the business model here is standard, like in a store.

First, think through all the nuances of the future retail outlet to extract maximum profit:

• select location;
• decide whether you need hired workers;
• decide whether you will manufacture medicines or simply sell them. The OKVED articles, which are indicated when preparing documents, depend on this.

It is also necessary to develop a memorable brand for the outlet.

The essence of the business is the sale of pharmaceutical drugs to the public. You can also do manufacturing, but this will require additional equipment.

Medicines that can be sold:

• pills;
• powders;
• ointments;
• capsules;
• syrups.

Opening plan

You won’t be able to manipulate drug prices; attract customers with profitable promotions and the ability to order online . A bright sign will also work great, even if you are not located in a public area. After thinking through the strategy, start registering the organization. On average, preparing an opening project takes from a month to six months.

Ready step-by-step instructions or how to make a plan:

1. Analysis of the city's pharmacy market.
2. Search for investments.
3. The need to register and obtain documents.
4. Concluding agreements with suppliers.
5. Search for premises.
6. Interior finishing, in accordance with the requirements of the authorities.
7. Personnel search.
8. Purchase of equipment.
9. Purchase of goods and open display.

The course of action is not final and not the only correct one.

Step 1: search for premises

It is not possible to open a pharmacy at home; certain rules must be followed. According to the current legislation of the Russian Federation, there are clear, written requirements and drawings for organizing the workspace. But this could be a room in a residential building, especially in a residential area.

• water supply, sewerage, electricity, telephone;
• the minimum size of the sales area is 20 square meters;
• Availability of equipped places for receiving prescriptions and dispensing medications with and without prescriptions.

Rooms that should be in the room:

• shopping room;
• medicine preparation room;
• washing room and manager's office;
• toilet, dressing room and staff room;
• medicine storage room.

Gallery "Photos of pharmacies"

With a large sales area In a small room

Step 2: preparing documents

Documentation required to open in Russia:

• permission from sanitary authorities;
• permits from the fire department;
• recommendation issued by the health authority on the direction of the pharmacy;
• certificate issued by the accreditation commission;
• license for this activity.

Documents for opening in Ukraine:

• a statement of expressed desire to engage in this type of activity;
• extract from EDRPOU;
• a valid pharmaceutical establishment passport;
• pharmacist diploma;
• information about the company's capital.

Study the legislation on the issue of who has the right to open a pharmacy and choose the legal form.

Step 3: purchase and installation of equipment

To organize internal processes, purchase furniture, shelves and chairs. The latter are not available everywhere, but are in demand in queues and by older people. Purchase refrigeration equipment for medications that require storage at low temperatures. In private cases, special devices will be required for the manufacture of prescription drugs.

What is needed for arrangement (cost in rubles):

• open cabinets - display cases, 5 pieces (150,000);
• table, 2 pieces (15,000);
• chairs, 5 pieces (3,000);
• cash register (1,000);
• refrigerator (10,000);
• display counter for display (5,000).

Total: 184,000 rubles.

Gallery "Equipment"

Pharmaceutical refrigerator (RUB 16,000) Pharmacy display-cash desk (5000 RUR) Pharmacy rack with lightbox (9000 rub.)

Step 4: Recruitment

A pharmacy degree is required to be hired. It is not necessary to be a doctor.

The number of employees depends on the size of the business. Assess what you need; the minimum required is two salespeople working in shifts. If the size of the investment allows, hire a manager or perform this role yourself.

List of employees with monthly salary (in rubles):

• pharmacist, 2 people (25,000);
• pharmacy manager, 1 person (30,000).

Step 5: Advertising Campaign

The sphere is closely monitored by the state in terms of pricing. When developing your business, pay attention to the following points:

1. Discounts on medicines. Many pharmacies set several hours a day during which discounts are offered on groups of products. What kind of drugs these will be, determine during the work. As practice shows, this is beneficial.
2. Don't forget about the possibility of pension discounts, this will attract more older buyers.
3. Advertise the project in thematic newspapers about health. This is especially true in rural areas.

Financial part

To run a successful business, investments are necessary. Since opening a pharmacy is expensive, it is advisable to wisely assess your capabilities. The payback of the project ranges from a month to a year. But in the future, the profit is good, the money received is stable, especially if you develop sales via the Internet. After reaching the planned level of income, think about opening a branch.

What you need and where to start regarding finance in rubles:

• personnel (55,000);
• rent (100,000);
• equipment (184,000);
• consumables (50,000).

Total: 384,000 rubles.

Risks

Main pitfalls:

1. Customer complaints. Their appearance will reduce the rating of your pharmacy. Positive reviews, in turn, will attract new customers.
2. Returns of medications. Certain groups of products cannot be returned. Make sure there is an appropriate warning.
3. Poor quality checking of drug expiration dates. Keep this in mind and control it. It's difficult, but necessary. If you find an item that is not selling, return it to the supplier. This can be done without medical education; attentiveness is more important here.
4. Lack of demand in the village. This is due to the fact that rural residents use traditional methods for treatment and believe in them. Therefore, think about where you should open a pharmacy and where not.

The pharmacy business appeared when people invented medicines. A person wants to live longer, be healthy and beautiful. Realizing this, many businessmen are thinking about creating a pharmacy business, correctly counting on good regular profits. However, in order to open the doors of a pharmacy to a visitor, it is necessary to take into account many nuances.

So, how to open a pharmacy? Below are step-by-step instructions.

Where to start: preparing a business plan

There are three options for resolving the issue with a business plan.

Franchise "SOVIET PHARMACY" - more than 185 pharmacies in Russia

The first is to write it yourself. In this case, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the specifics of this type of activity.

The second is to download a ready-made business plan on the Internet. This is not the most reliable option for those who are ready to invest a lot of money in opening a pharmacy.

And the third is to contact a consulting company, whose specialists will literally “live” this issue for money and will ultimately issue a fully working tool that will inspire great confidence among potential investors.

Regardless of the option chosen, the business plan for opening a pharmacy should cover the following issues:

1. Justification of the feasibility of opening a pharmacy.
2. The amount of investment to open a pharmacy and the payback period.

Key points:

1. Range.
2. Average number of customers per day.
3. Trade margin.
4. Necessary investments.
5. Number of staff.
6. Operating mode.
7. Start of activity.

Registration of activities

Who can open a pharmacy? This question is answered by the Federal Law “On the Circulation of Medicines”.

This opportunity is available both to an individual entrepreneur with a diploma in pharmacist or pharmacist, and to the owner of an LLC, OJSC or CJSC.

In this case, pharmaceutical education is not necessary for the business owner, but you will have to hire a manager with the appropriate diploma.

To open a pharmacy, OKVED data is suitable:

1. 3 Retail trade in pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and perfumes.
2. 31 Retail trade of pharmaceutical products.
3. 32 Retail trade of medical goods and orthopedic products.
4. 33 Retail trade in cosmetics and perfumes.

What types of pharmacy companies are there?

The next document that will be required to open a pharmacy is the Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development “On approval of types of pharmacy organizations.”

It defines and classifies the types of pharmacies:

Which pharmacy should you choose as your own business? It’s best to look at this question through the eyes of your clients.

The choice of pharmacy is influenced by its territorial accessibility, range of medications, availability of prescription drugs, delivery options and the pharmacy’s discount policy. If a drug is required, the sale of which is permitted only by prescription, the consumer will contact a regular pharmacy.

If there is no urgency to purchase or there is an opportunity to wait for the delivery of the medicine from several days to a week, the modern client will prefer an online pharmacy. People of retirement age, especially those living close to hospitals, clinics and other healthcare institutions, will choose interhospital pharmacies.

All of the listed types of pharmacies differ from each other in a different number of functions. The pharmacy has the most functions, the pharmacy kiosk has the least.

The business plan for opening a pharmacy is described in the video.

Selection of premises and equipment, requirements for them

Any pharmacy, even a private one, belongs to healthcare institutions. The purpose of the pharmacy is to provide citizens with medicines and medical supplies.

The requirements for pharmacy premises are set out in the project “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for pharmacy organizations and organizations for the wholesale trade of medicines for medical use.”

Internal layout:

• shopping room,
• premises in which medicines are produced,
• a warehouse in which medicines are stored,
• room for the production of distilled water,
• washing,
• manager's office,
• staff room,
• toilet room,
• locker room

In addition, pharmacies must be connected to water supply, sewerage, electricity and central heating.

What will it take to open?

Now let's look at what is needed to open a pharmacy, namely what documents, permits, licenses.

To get the go-ahead from Rospotrebnadzor you will need:

1. Statement of the established form.
2. Citizen's passport.
3. TIN certificate.
4. Certificate of registration of a legal entity or individual.
5. Extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate.
6. Lease agreement or ownership of premises.
7. Explication.
8. BTI plan.
9. Contract for washing clothes.
10. Contract for disinfection of premises.
11. Agreement on the disposal of used fluorescent lamps.
12. Agreement on medical examination of personnel.
13. Medical records of employees.
14. Measurements of microclimate and room illumination.
15. Production control plan.

To obtain a fire service permit, the following documents are required:

1. Registration certificate.
2. Documents confirming the availability of fire protection and warning equipment.
3. Declaration of fire safety.
4. Wire insulation resistance measurements
5. Pharmaceutical license obtained from Roszdravnadzor.

It will take from thirty to forty days to issue a license required in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Law “On Licensing of Certain Types of Activities” and “Regulations on Licensing of Pharmaceutical Activities”.

Criteria for selecting personnel for a pharmacy

Personnel are what the success of any business rests on. For a pharmacy, it is advisable to select people with higher medical or pharmacological education.

This is necessary so that pharmacy staff can correctly give advice on choosing a particular drug and explain the conditions for using the drug.

A pharmacist at a pharmacy must know which drug will help with which disease, and understand its analogues and synonyms. In addition, pharmacy staff must be sociable, polite and friendly to visitors, not forgetting that many pharmacy clients may not feel well and be sensitive when discussing diseases.

In addition, staff must strictly adhere to discipline and internal regulations. The pharmacist must stimulate sales: such a simple move as offering a hematogen bar for change will allow selling a large amount of this product.

Procurement of medicines and selection of suppliers

It is possible to purchase medicines for a pharmacy from a single or from many suppliers. The second option is preferable, since suppliers, competing with each other, will strive to interest the owner of the pharmacy business as much as possible.

What do you need to know when choosing a drug supplier for your pharmacy?

It is necessary to have information about the suppliers available in the city. This is not difficult to do if you have the Internet.

A lot of information can be found on specialized forums. There you can find out, for example, whether a given supplier has any problems with defects or certificates, how simple and convenient negotiations are, whether applications are accurately formed, how often errors occur in accompanying documents.

Meeting delivery deadlines is another important criterion for choosing a supplier.

In addition to medications, pharmacies can sell special foods or cosmetics. Pharmacies often sell medical equipment - thermometers, pressure measuring devices or glucometers, which are so necessary for patients with diabetes. All these medical and near-medical products bring in a good income, since many drugs have surcharges strictly established by the state, but “by-products” do not.

Subsequently, when starting to work with suppliers, it is recommended to conduct a rating of suppliers.

Profitability of pharmacy business, ways of development and promotion

Today in our country there are approximately 2,400 residents per pharmacy. This is quite enough to talk about good profitability of this business.

The pharmacy business is sometimes called a “business for life”; this is a long-term project, it can be passed on not only to children, but also to grandchildren. Medicines, like food, are essential items, and being healthy today is fashionable.

According to research by marketers, the pharmacy business pays back its investment in the first two years, breaks even in another year or two, and only then, after 4 years, begins to generate good profits.

Competition in the pharmacy market is high, so it will be difficult for a single person to stay afloat - you need a pharmacy chain. This will be the further progress of the business.

In the future, you should think about promoting your pharmacy point. Advertising placed on public transport surfaces or banners would be inappropriate here.

One point is a pharmacy within walking distance; a person will not go to it across the whole city. Therefore, the main consumer is a resident of the residential area located next door.

But, we repeat, competition in this market is great, so not one, but two or three or four pharmacies may be located within walking distance. It is important to be the best - to work competently with suppliers so that the necessary drugs are available, and those that run out arrive as quickly as possible.

A person should not leave empty-handed. You can hold promotions, for example, on bad days of the week, announce discounts on the best-selling items.

How much does it cost to open a pharmacy from scratch and as a franchise?

In this matter, a lot depends on the room. Rented space will cost less than purchased space.

But here everything depends on the requirements that legislation imposes on the pharmacy business. It is important to take into account such parameters as lighting, ceiling height, size of the rented area, and the presence of a sanitary unit.

The necessary premises that meet the requirements may eventually be found, but it will be far from places where potential buyers and their traffic gather. Again, you will have to invest in repairs and equipment.

And there are no guarantees that the landlord will not ask an entrepreneur who has just started his activity to “exit” in six months.

If you decide to buy or build a building, then, despite the high cost, there are much more advantages. Firstly, your own premises will still pay off.

In addition, this is a guarantee that the pharmacy will remain in the same place in twenty years. In extreme cases, for example when changing your place of residence, it can be sold or rented out.

If you build your own trade pavilion, you can place it in the most accessible place, of course, with the permission of the administration. And already at the construction stage, take into account all the requirements for the pharmacy.

The cost of purchasing or building a premises depends on the specific locality.

The second significant part of the expenses is the purchase of equipment, goods, furniture and other opening costs. On average, in a settlement with half a million inhabitants, these costs are about 2,000,000 rubles.

Plus the rental cost is about 80,000 rubles monthly. In the case of purchasing premises as a property, the price of the purchased premises must be added to the cost of opening costs.

To be fair, it is worth noting that a pharmacy is usually a business for entrepreneurs with experience and financial capabilities. It’s difficult for those new to pharmacy.

It is necessary to learn many business processes, work with suppliers and personnel, and master marketing and promotion in a short time. But if you want to open a pharmacy and difficulties do not frighten you, you can make your life a little easier by opening a pharmacy under a franchise.

Its obvious advantages:

• the initial investment is much smaller than when opening a pharmacy on your own, especially in the case when the franchisor offers a turnkey solution and independently selects the premises, enters into a lease agreement, makes repairs and obtains a license.
• Recognizable brand and logo.
• Help and support in organizing and running a business.
• Discounts on the purchase of goods and return of unsold medicines.
• Minimizing advertising costs.
• Consultations in the selection of personnel and further work with them.
• The risk of failure is much lower.
• Shorter payback period, from six months to one year.

Typically, the price of a well-known pharmacy franchise starts from two and a half to ten million rubles. In this case, the franchisor, as a rule, guarantees a payback of up to one year, subject to strict compliance with all franchise conditions.

You can learn how to open a pharmacy from the video.

In contact with

The pharmacy business is the most in demand today. Diseases have not yet left our society, and bright and promising advertisements awaken humanity to use various drugs every day as a preventive measure for any diseases. And besides, the cost of foreign and domestic medicines increases every year. Therefore, it makes no sense to say that a pharmacy is a high-income business, since this is already clear to everyone.

But since there are more than enough pharmacy points on the market, it is necessary to take into account some of the nuances of opening this business in order to make it competitive and generating high income.

Nuances of the pharmacy business

Not all retail outlets of this type on the market have the right to sell prescription medications. According to the law, only pharmacies can do this. And various pharmacy points and kiosks are deprived of this right. Therefore, you need to decide in advance about the product - whether it will be healthy food, baby food, cosmetics or prescription medications.

A pharmacy kiosk can only be opened on the basis of an existing pharmacy. Therefore, it would be more correct to open a pharmacy first, and then, to increase profits, kiosks and points.

Where to begin?

The first thing you need to do when starting a business is to register with the tax service. It is worth noting that this requires certain knowledge and immersion in this area. This should be done only after it has already been decided what type of service the company will provide.

According to the law, pharmacies are registered under, which belongs to group 24.42.1. This group gives permission for the production of medicines of all types, including aseptic ones. In addition, OKVED codes give the right to retail trade in certain products. For example:

You can register with the tax service using the following forms:

When opening an individual entrepreneur, the owner of the enterprise must have a medical education (diploma of a pharmacist or pharmacist). In other cases, such formality is not required.

Required documents and licenses

Before opening a pharmacy, you will need to obtain:

• permission from the SES (sanitary-epidemiological station);
• permission from the fire department;
• license to provide this type of service on the market.

In each case, you will need to collect a package of documents. For SES permission you need to fill out a corresponding application and provide a copy and original passport. It will be impossible to obtain permission from the SES without providing a Certificate of Enterprise Registration. You will need both a copy and the original.

You will also need to contact the Unified State Register of Real Estate and receive an extract that will contain all the necessary information about the company:

• cadastral value of the building;
• all objects located on his land plot;
• encumbrances of the object;
• claims to the building by third parties.

To receive an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate when registering a new building, you must first register it with the Cadastral Chamber, and then register your rights with the Federal Registration Service for the registration of rights. Next, to obtain permission from the SES, you need to provide a document confirming ownership of the property or the original lease agreement, as well as a BTI plan, TIN certificate and an explanation that will contain information about the number of rooms in the building and their area.

In addition to all this, the owner will need to provide the following agreements (copies and originals) to the SES:

• for washing clothes;
• for disinfection;
• to conduct examinations in medical institutions of all employees;
• on the destruction of fluorescent lamps.

You will need to collect medical records of all employees in advance. They must contain truthful information about the health status of workers, as well as all necessary vaccinations.

This documentation will allow you to obtain a sanitary passport, without which opening a pharmacy will become impossible.

To obtain permission from the fire department You will need to collect a smaller package of documents. To do this, you will need to call the fire inspectorate and obtain the following documents from them:

• approving the presence and good condition of all fire safety components;
• approving the receipt of a protocol on measuring the insulation resistance of electrical wires;
• approving the receipt of a pharmaceutical license in Roszdravnadzor.

You will also need to provide a copy and original of the Business Registration Certificate to the tax service.

To obtain a license You will need a large list of documents:

• This is an application in the appropriate form and a Certificate of Registration of the enterprise.
• You will also need a copy of the document confirming the entry of a legal entity into the Unified State Register, as well as a receipt for payment of the license fee.
• These documents will need to be supported by a sanitary passport and permission from the fire service to open a pharmacy. And also provide the originals of work books and diplomas of all employees.
• Here you will also need to support the rental agreement for the premises or a certificate of ownership, as well as a plan diagram and characteristics of the building.

If one of the documents is missing or if reality does not correspond with the information specified in them, a decision may be made to refuse to issue a license to open a pharmacy premises.

Choosing a pharmacy location, premises requirements

Profit from the pharmacy business directly depends on the location of the pharmacy. This is exactly what you need to think about first when opening it. Of course, it should be opened in crowded places. This metro, shopping centers, bus stops etc.

Opening a pharmacy in shopping centers should take into account traffic. The higher it is, the greater the profit. However, in existing shopping centers, all available spaces are probably already occupied by competitors. Therefore, you should sign an agreement on opening a retail outlet in advance, that is, before the opening of the center.

If the opening is planned on the central streets of the city, then the best options are crowded places - bank branches, food markets, parks etc. Well, if the opening is planned in a courtyard area, then you should be patient and learn how to advertise yourself correctly. If this is an old neighborhood where competitors are already present, you need to come up with interesting advertising for your pharmacy and come up with some promotions. You need to do everything possible to attract buyers.

But it is best to open a pharmacy in new neighborhoods that are under construction, since there are practically no competitors there. You should not be afraid that the neighborhood is sparsely populated and will bring little profit. This will be the case for the first year or two. However, then your pharmacy will be the most popular in the area and will have its own regular customers.

Each point of this type must have:

• shopping room;
• bathroom;
• wardrobe;
• cabinet;
• stock;
• room for household needs.

The room must be heated, have water supply, ventilation and exhaust, be equipped with all fire safety equipment and humidity parameter recorders. When renovating a building, you also need to consider some points. Walls and ceilings should be easy to wet clean, so they need to be finished with special reflective material. When finishing the floor, floor coverings such as linoleum or ceramic tiles should be used. They are easy to clean with wet cleaning and are most resistant to aggressive detergents, which will need to be used regularly to keep the room clean.

As for the external design, there must be a sign “Pharmacy”, “Pharmacy Point” or “Pharmacy Kiosk” hanging on the street. And the porch should be equipped with a ramp so that disabled people and young mothers with strollers can easily get inside the premises and purchase goods. The area of ​​the premises directly depends on the type of pharmacy and its location. For example, if the premises are located in the city, and the owner has the right to manufacture medicines, its area should be not less than 138 m2, and outside the city - not less than 85 m2.

Purchase of medicines, purchase of equipment

Medicines can be purchased from several suppliers at once. Moreover, the wider your network, the greater the discount you will receive. You can negotiate with the owners of other pharmacies and buy goods directly from them at the purchase price.

It is worth considering that pharmacies should sell not only medicines, but also other cosmetic products. For example, children's cosmetics and skin and hair care products. This will increase the flow of consumers and, accordingly, profits.

The state sets a maximum price for some medications, an increase in which will lead to administrative liability. Products from the cosmetics series do not have such restrictions.

You will also need to purchase the necessary equipment. Particular care must be taken when choosing an electronic system that will allow you to keep records of the product, its expiration date, quantity sold, etc.

Staff

Recruitment of personnel is a very important point in the pharmacy business, since its profitability depends on it by 30%. Every employee must have higher medical education (pharmacist or pharmacist) and have at least three years of experience in this field.

Requalification is required every 5 years.

The following video describes in detail how to open such a business:

Option to open an online pharmacy

Opening an online pharmacy is also a very profitable business, but it requires more time to promote. Unlike a regular pharmacy, there is no need to purchase a separate premises and collect the necessary information about it. However, obtaining a license is also integral in this area.

Here you need to pay more attention to the site. It is necessary to make an interesting home page that attracts attention; you will need to spend money on promoting the site and bringing it to the top places in Yandex and Google. You can do this yourself, but it will take 1-2 years.

You will also need to constantly monitor product updates and find an experienced manager with a medical education who will take calls and answer all customer questions.

Total cost and payback period

The average return on investment for a project is 2-3 years. Therefore, if you rent a premises, you should enter into an agreement for at least 5 years, since most of your income will go to pay rent.

Average daily revenue is approx. 25 thousand rubles. With successful development, the amount of working capital is at least one million. To start a business you will need approximately $52,000. Of them:

• $5000 rental of premises;
• $20,000 renovation;
• $12,000 trade and cash register equipment;
• $5,500 for completing the necessary documentation;
• $3000 outdoor advertising;
• $7,000 additional costs in the form of software support and the purchase of other equipment.

Based on this, decide for yourself whether this business is profitable for you or not.

Advice and suggestions from an existing entrepreneur, owner of pharmacies from the Kostroma region, Vladimir Pushkov, which he kindly agreed to offer to all users of our online magazine “Russian Startup”. All the premises in which Vladimir's pharmacies are located are leased by him. This makes it more convenient and profitable for him. The network has a manager who is also a co-owner of the pharmacy business. Each pharmacy employs one pharmacist and two pharmacists. All pharmacies operate profitably, and Vladimir’s business is thriving even in our difficult times.

Every year the pharmacy business is gaining momentum. As practice shows, with the right approach, selling medicines can become quite a profitable business. Vladimir talks about what it takes to open a pharmacy.

How to open a pharmacy from scratch? Personal experience

Before getting into the pharmacy business, I only had the desire to open my own business, but no experience. I considered various options, but decided to focus on selling medicines. No matter what happens in the country, no matter what the income, people will never stop receiving treatment.

Another plus is that the shelf life of medical products is usually at least two years, and the average pharmacy bill is not so small.

Even at the planning stage, it is necessary to find a room - exactly where the pharmacy will be located, the area and layout of the room largely determines what will come out of it in the end.

So, for sales in the city center, in shopping malls and other crowded places, you will need one assortment and appropriate personnel, and for a pharmacy in a residential area - a slightly different one.

If you are planning to open a pharmacy in a village, the approach to organizing its work will be completely different.

You need to choose a direction of activity from several types:

• classic regular pharmacy;
• pharmacy store;
• Pharmacy;
• pharmacy kiosk.

The differences between them are determined by the current regulatory documents and lie in the number of services provided and medications allowed for sale.

Thus, only a classic pharmacy or pharmacy can dispense prescription drugs. Kiosks or stores are only allowed to sell over-the-counter products.

Therefore, you should decide in advance what services you are going to provide. It should also be taken into account that it is impossible to open a pharmacy without a pharmacy that has already started its activities. Therefore, it is better to immediately collect documents for opening a pharmacy, and in the future develop smaller forms of business.

When opening a pharmacy, a business plan will help solve the issue of initial capital

Like every beginning entrepreneur, I was worried about finding money. I had some savings, but they were not enough. I applied to the bank for a loan to develop a small business - they asked me to provide a business plan.

To be honest, I had no idea how to draw up such documents. When I tried to translate my thoughts into numbers on paper, it turned out something incomprehensible. As a result, I turned to a company specializing in such services and received a fully prepared business plan.

As a result, I received a loan from a bank under a government guarantee from the Small Business Development Center. Firstly, the bank lent money for a small process, and secondly, there were no difficulties in concluding an agreement.

What needs to be done to open a pharmacy without a pharmaceutical education?

The only thing that worried me was the lack of a medical school diploma. Having become interested in how to open a pharmacy without a pharmaceutical education, I found out that this is not related to direct work, but to the form of ownership.

A pharmacist or pharmacist diploma is required when you register as an individual entrepreneur. This is discussed in the law regulating the circulation of medicines.

If you choose any other type of property, the question of whether it is possible to open a pharmacy without a pharmaceutical education will not confront you.

But what is needed to open a pharmacy, in addition to the usual worries associated with financial investments, renting premises or recruiting staff, is knowledge of the laws and regulations related to this area. And this is one of the most important issues among what is needed to open a pharmacy in Russia.

Pharmacy activities are regulated by the following regulations: documents:

• Federal Law “On the Circulation of Medicines” No. 61-FZ dated April 12, 2010.
  Federal Law (as amended on October 4, 2010) “On licensing of certain types of activities” No. 128-FZ dated August 8, 2001;
• Regulations on licensing of pharmaceutical activities No. 416 of July 6, 2006;
  Resolution “On approval of rules for the destruction of substandard medicines, counterfeit medicines and counterfeit medicines” No. 674 of September 3, 2010;
• Resolution “On approval of the regulations on licensing the production of medicines” No. 684 of September 3, 2010.

Obtaining a license can be quite time consuming. In addition, you will need to purchase equipment: refrigerators for storing medicines, air conditioners, safes for medicines containing narcotic substances, commercial equipment.

When renovating, pay attention to the fact that the finishing materials can be wet cleaned with disinfectants. Ramps for shoppers with disabilities and handrails for seniors are required.

The real story of creating an inexpensive business plan can be found in this interesting article:

A large number of cases of creating highly profitable businesses from existing entrepreneurs can be read

You can select, download or buy a working business plan for any business in this catalog:

It is also important what material will be used to finish the floor and outdoor space near your pharmacy. Remember that a significant portion of buyers will be elderly people with health problems.

If they feel uncomfortable entering (especially in winter when it's slippery), then you will lose most of your customers.

The issue of personnel selection also has its own nuances. In addition to the fact that there must be a pharmacist and a pharmacist on staff, even ordinary sellers must understand the product and, if necessary, be able to recommend one or another medicine.

This is especially true for pharmacies located in residential areas - this way you can develop a base of regular customers who come only to you.

If you, like me at the beginning, are not very well versed in what product to buy, you cannot do without the services of a good pharmacist. Medicines can be purchased directly from manufacturers or from pharmacy warehouses that sell goods at wholesale prices.

Don't be afraid to start a business in unfinished areas.

At first, the flow of buyers will be small, but later competitors will be less likely to appear nearby.

As a result, you will have a large market at your disposal.

In general, it seems to me that in order to answer the question “I want to open a pharmacy, where to start,” it will take a lot of time.

But you understand this with experience, and without practice, as you know, it does not appear.

For example, advertising for individual pharmacies does not give any return; investing money in promotion only makes sense if you are working with a chain of establishments. But promotions, discounts and benefits, even very small ones, can attract many people.

Therefore, think about this issue in advance, prepare discount savings cards, arrange discounts on weekends or in the morning - all this will bring quite a significant income.

How much money do you need to open a pharmacy?

It all depends on what type of pharmacy you will open. So, in order to open a pharmacy under a franchise, you will need one amount, depending on the conditions offered by the franchisee.

This is very convenient, you get an almost ready-made business with a well-promoted name, a developed work scheme and ready-made suppliers. In addition, network players are interested in attracting new outlets. But it will cost more, and the profits will have to be shared.

Thus, a pharmacy franchise for the “36.6” chain will cost only a thousand dollars, but in addition to selecting premises, paying rent and finding personnel, you are expected to invest 50-100 thousand dollars. The picture is approximately the same in other well-known networks.

It is quite difficult to give an exact answer on how much it costs to open a pharmacy without knowing the specific circumstances. If we talk about approximate initial figures, then they can amount to 40-45 thousand dollars in Moscow. In the provinces, it is quite possible to limit yourself to the amount of 25 thousand.

Table No. 1. Potential to expand the market of pharmacies and pharmacy chains in Russia

Is it profitable to open a pharmacy?

It all depends on how many buyers you can attract. The approximate payback period for such an enterprise is about a year. But it’s better to immediately aim to open a pharmacy chain over time.

This will reduce the cost of purchasing medicines and, accordingly, increase the profit from each operating point.

From my own experience, I can say that a pharmacy as a business can become not just a profitable business, but also one that remains stable under any external circumstances.

Table No. 2. Growth of drug market participants in Russia

• The wider the range offered, the higher the profit;
• At the initial stage, medications can be purchased together with some other pharmacies - each of you will benefit from the cost of medications, since discounts for large wholesale buyers can be very significant;
• Do not limit the range only to medical drugs: teas, mineral water, dietary supplements from certified manufacturers, skin or hair care products - all this will increase your sales volume and your profit;
• You can open a specialized establishment and offer goods to a narrow group of buyers: expensive medicines, medications for diabetics, homeopathic medicines, etc.