Health Information Pharmacy Group hits 30!
HIP Edgecliff
The past month has seen a growth spurt at the group, taking membership to 30 across Australia for the first time. New pharmacies in the group include HIP Edgecliff in Sydney, HIP Wyndham in Werribee (Vic) and HIP Maroochy Day & Night on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
This month's edition of the Australian Journal of Pharmacy includes their annual report on banner groups, and the table of current groups makes for interesting reading. Some very well known banners have declined quite significantly and while some other banners have clearly grown as a result, what is evident is the emergence of a number of completely new groups*.
This represents an increasing awareness among pharmacy owners that the traditional banners do not provide the whole answer to changes in the pharmacy landscape. As Bruce Annabel (senior partner of pharmacy services at pharmacy specialist accounting firm Johnston Rorke) says in the article "...the offers of existing pharmacy groups, with the exception of a few located in the right places, cannot deliver pharmacies the customer base they need in order to sustain their future in the face of falling dispensary margins and increasing competition for the health consumer's dollar."
The HIP format was developed from the outset to provide a "full format" business model that is sufficiently flexible to be implemented in a range of different locations and pharmacy types. The model was also developed very much with the fact that change in regulation in the industry was inevitable, and we are starting to see that change now. Our focus is very much on 'securing the future of pharmacy' by differentiating our offer from traditional pharmacy and other competing businesses. The development of our Health Solutions business, which includes our new Health-e Weight product program, is a major part of this focus.
The Health-e Weight program is currently in trial at a number of HIP pharmacies, with full launch scheduled soon. Unlike ketogenic diets and other low carb diets promoted in pharmacy, our weight management program is based on the CSIRO Wellbeing Diet. We recognise the importance of follow-up and exercise as key components of the program alongside the actual Health-e Weight product itself.
*42 groups are now listed, not including HIP
01.08.07
