Apollo Healthco to open 80-100 pharmacies in Bengal

Apollo Healthco Ltd, part of the Apollo Hospitals Group, is set to expand its pharmacy network in Bengal. The company plans to open 80 to 100 new outlets in the next two years. This move aims to boost its market share from 25% to 40% in the state. The expansion will mainly focus on tier-2 cities. Currently, Kolkata represents about 35% of Apollo's sales, with around 900 outlets statewide. Of these, 500 are located in Kolkata. Following the new openings, Apollo will have about 1,000 stores in Bengal, according to CEO Madhivanan Balakrishnan. He stated that the company wants to increase its market share significantly in the region. Apollo Pharmacy outlets currently handle about 1.5 lakh invoices daily, with Kolkata contributing a significant portion. The company also introduced a 29-minute delivery service in Kolkata last year. With this service, over 85% of orders in the city are now fast-tracked. Currently, 80% of orders are delivered within 29 minutes, while the rest arrive in two hours. Additionally, the company is enhancing its pharmacies with micro-warehousing for quicker access to popular medicines.