Mannheim, 10 November 2017 – The PHOENIX group has acquired the Goodwill Apoteka pharmacy chain in Serbia. The retailer operates 138 pharmacies across the country with 540 employees. The complete acquisition of the Goodwill owner Inter Pharma d.o.o. is subject to approval by the Serbian competition authorities. “With the addition of Goodwill, we are further strengthening our retail presence in Serbia and are clearly expanding our leading position as an integrated healthcare provider in South Eastern Europe”, said PHOENIX CEO Oliver Windholz.
In the foreseeable future, the Goodwill pharmacies will be renamed BENU – the brand name of the existing PHOENIX pharmacies in Serbia - thus becoming an integral part of a network of more than 300 BENU pharmacies. Together with independent pharmacies of the local PHOENIX pharmacy cooperation programme BETTY, the company in Serbia offers a comprehensive supply of health products and services close to home. Furthermore, PHOENIX is the leading pharmaceutical wholesaler in Serbia.
The PHOENIX group has become a key partner of the healthcare industry in the Balkans over the recent years. In spring 2017, the company opened a new logistics centre for pharmaceuticals and health products near the Serbian capital Belgrade. It is part of the company’s cross-border logistics solutions. As a bridgehead, the logistics centre interconnects the pharmaceutical industry with wholesale and retail all over Central and Eastern Europe.
The PHOENIX group has been operating in the South-East European markets of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia since 2005. The company is the market leader in this region in the wholesale segment and in healthcare logistics for the pharmaceutical industry and is strongly growing in retail. The enterprise employs more than 2000 people in this part of Europe.