Oriola expands its Baltic operations to the healthcare retail business, opening its first healthcare retail store in Estonia in November 2005. Besides healthcare products, medicines will constitute a natural part of the store's offer. A comprehensive healthcare wholesaler, Oriola has an extensive product range which will meet the needs of both healthcare professionals and retail customers.
Oriola's move to the healthcare product and pharmacy retail business in the Baltic countries represents a new concept. Besides medicines, Oriola's Estonian product range includes some 20,000 healthcare products, including articles for ordinary consumers. In addition to the usual prescription medicines and self-care preparations, the product offer will also include a wide selection of products for healthcare and medical care, tests, measuring equipment and other healthcare articles and aids.
- The comprehensive product range makes it possible for us to serve an extensive consumer clientele, also meeting the needs of special groups. We will be working in close contact with various patient organisations, Pharmacy Director, Ms Imbi Hollat (M.Sc. Pharm.) comments the new concept.
- So far, our operations in Estonia have been mainly characterised by the wholesales of pharmaceuticals as well as healthcare equipment and supplies. These businesses have been profitable. We now have a clear objective to integrate the new retail business to our existing operations. We want to create a direct contact to the consumers, thus providing our suppliers with new added value, Mr. Jukka Niemi, Director of pharmacy operations explains. We aim at ranking among Estonia's largest pharmacies in a year's time. The success will also have a positive impact on our wholesale operations.
The new pharmacy is located in downtown Tallinn, in the City Plaza building at Tartu maantie 2. The retail store surface area is over 300 square meters. The Estonian national agency for medicines, or Ravimiamet, has already granted the necessary pharmacy licence, and the pharmacy will soon start operations, most likely during week n. 47.
Currently, there are about 400 pharmacies in Estonia, most of which are owned by pharmaceutical wholesalers. The legislative reform entering into force at year's end will make it more difficult to open a pharmacy in Estonia. Pharmacy ownership is not regulated in Estonia but pharmacy operations require a licence.
For more information
Oriola
President Risto Kanerva, tel. +358 50 429 2765
Director Jukka Niemi, tel. +358 50 429 3154
Orion Corporation Corporate Communications
Communications Manager Tuula Laitinen, tel. +358 50 429 2136
Oriola Oy
Oriola is a marketer and wholesaler of healthcare and research products and equipment, as well as a leading pharmaceutical distributor. Oriola's main markets are Finland, the Baltic countries, Sweden, Denmark and Russia. Oriola's operations comprise pharmaceutical distribution, pharmacy and retail sales, dental care as well as healthcare and research. Our product offer includes almost 66,000 articles and comprises all areas of healthcare and medical care.
Pharmaceutical distribution and wholesales accounted for 87% or 1,008 million Euros, of the 2004 net sales while the share of healthcare equipment and supplies was 13%. International operations accounted for 5% of the whole. Oriola is the trusted cooperation partner of the world's leading pharmaceutical producers and manufacturers of healthcare equipment and supplies.
Publisher:
Orion Corporation
Corporate Communications
P.O. Box 65
FI-02101 Espoo, Finland