Significantly declining number of pharmacies

Number of pharmacies reached lowest level since 1994

31.01.2013

The number of pharmacies is falling with increasing speed, warns the industry service „Pharmacy ADHOC“ citing the information provided by the pharmacies of the federal states. For the first time since 1994, the pharmacy number at the end of 2012 fell below 21,000. Almost every working day last year closed a pharmacy in Germany.

Overall, the number of pharmacies in 2012 fell by 295 (1.4 percent) to 20,934 main and branch pharmacies, according to the latest release. By the end of 2012, 480 pharmacies had to close, but 185 new pharmacies were opened. Bremen had to cope with the biggest decline. Here, the number of pharmacies fell by almost five percent. Nine pharmacies were closed and only one newly opened. In the previous year, the number of pharmacies in Bremen had already fallen by 6.3 percent. The Chamber District Westphalia-Lippe, Saarland, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine were also hit particularly hard by the pharmacy closures in 2012 „Pharmacy ADHOC“. According to the latest data, the pharmacy number is „despite chaining to the lowest level in 18 years.“

Pharmacies as branches
The phasing out of the pharmacy was already slowed by the approval of the limited multiple ownership and would probably have been significantly stronger in recent years, if the takeover of pharmacies threatened by closure as branch pharmacies would not have been possible „the industry service. In 2008, the number of pharmacies in Germany had reached its peak with 21,602 permanent establishments, but it has since declined „the number of pharmacies again - with increasing speed.“ (Fp)