I’ve seen the future…….and I’m not happy, Jan!

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	Chris Wright articles by this author...
Chris has spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry and is semi-retired. He has an interest in supply chain procedures, and work flows within community pharmacies, and he provides consultancies around those activities.

The ubiquitous Mrs Wright, in her quest to unearth a new erotic shopping experience, ushered this writer to a new Coles store located at the all very nice and leafy suburb of Ivanhoe in Melbourne recently.
This is contemporary retailing at its best, no doubt influenced by the gurus at Westfarmers and the rapidly changing retail climate in Australia, which of course involves the future of Pharmacy in some way….but more about Pharmacy later.

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To wander into the open entrance to this store is to reminisce of the brilliant Marks & Spencer model. Unlike the ill-fated attempt by M & S to introduce retail excellence to the less than enthusiastic Afghanis by opening a store in Kabul in the indulgent 60’s this is a store seemingly poised to establish Coles as a leader in the new wave of retail thinking.

With a heavy emphasis on fresh food being offered in state of the art fixtures with a low orientation to provide a sense of openness and grocery aisles separated by a central “street” in the same manner as Bunnings this must be retail Shangri-La to the seasoned shopper….with apologies to James Hilton.

At long last, a supermarket has addressed the two issues that drive customers to madness.

It is not necessary to traipse the aisles in frustration in this store in search of an elusive product and, in the event a purchase has not been made it is no longer like trying to escape from Pentridge to exit the store.

With Costco about to open at Docklands Coles has drawn a line in the sand and is clearly preparing for battle, despite a differing culture.

This Coles store (like Aldi and NQR) sells alcohol inside the body of the store but unlike Aldi/NQR accepts payment at designated “Grocery/Alcohol” checkouts. Coles have been flirting with this for some time and Liquor Licensing Victoria seem to have relented with their opposition to Supermarkets selling alcohol through the same checkout as everything else.

The fish counter, butchery, bakery and deli departments are about the best around. The magnificent cheese range and presentation gives rise to the thought that unless the fine folk of Ivanhoe have an unhealthy addiction to the stuff the store may well fail.

Pharmacies in the area would be well advised to increase their stock of Lipitor……

An area of no less than 225 square metres is devoted to lines once regarded as the exclusive domain of Pharmacy. Yes, yes I accept that those days are long gone, but this “Pharmacy Department” is different to the norm for two reasons.

Firstly, it is obvious that it this an area designated as special use insofar that it is removed from the main body of grocery etc, etc shelving and highlighted by the fact that shelving in the body of the area is low, but surrounded by higher shelving, thus clearly delineating the area and giving the illusion it is somewhat autonomous.

Secondly and very significantly, this area is located in a prime position, unlike the “Pharmacy Department” as we usually know it, which generally shares space with the likes of hardware, motor oil, pet supplies and anything else not remotely associated with Pharmacy.

It is also interesting that the area devoted to Pharmacy is adjacent the liquor shop, which is not branded as one of the identifiable Coles brands such as Liquorland, Vintage Cellars or 1st Choice. Rather, this is a smallish department with a reduced range, but nonetheless exudes a professional air. Equally, the liquor shop and pharmacy areas are somewhat removed from the self checkout area……..a subliminal message, perhaps?

Perhaps this is part of a concerted effort by Coles to highlight their desire to participate in Pharmacy. Westfarmers recently dumped Pharmacy Direct, but let’s not interpret this as a lack of interest.

Kevin 747 is hell-bent on “saving” money and will plug any financial hole he can find, whether it be imagined leakage, or not.

Pharmacy is a certain target because unlike the previous Liberal Government, this Labor Government appears to be less than enthusiastic about maintaining the status quo; despite the fact the Health Minister has a sound knowledge base of the industry and Pharmacy generally does well under a Labor Government. Besides, it has been made clear that this Government will treat the PGA just like any other interest group. Let’s face it, if the Government is prepared to take on their own flock such as the ETU, AMFMU et al, why would they be concerned about having a crack at an elitist and astonishingly wealthy “union” who boasts the miniscule membership base of approximately .375% of unionists in this country? Besides, as it approaches its Diamond anniversary the time honoured relationship between the Government of the day and the PGA is clearly not it once was……..is divorce in the air, we wonder?

It is probable that Pharmacy and the patient will pay dearly for the much vaunted stimulus package that sent many residents in Malta and Greece on a path of frenzied celebration at their good fortune at being reverse ex-pat’s. Limuncell and ouzo sales must have gone through the roof. I mean, talk about hitting the jackpot!

The long revered profit base of prescription activity is evaporating at a pace approaching the fall of Gordon Ramsay’s popularity. In an effort to survive, pharmacists are learning to sacrifice care in an effort to stay in business. Some of course do this with consummate ease and have done so for many years, which has exacerbated the problem of establishing a balanced and objective debate about the relationship between care and cost as we head towards the next agreement, which is looming as the most controversial of all.

With a footprint of a 225 square metre Pharmacy Department in a prime location in the store Coles in the future will no doubt be able to capture the prescription and DAA market by providing automated solutions to fulfill patient requirements in time to present to them as they exit the store with their shopping. Image and presentation is everything in today’s world and Community Pharmacy as we know it is at risk of being consigned to history, not just because of the bear in the corner, but also because the window of opportunity for Pharmacy to develop value added services as a community based health provider is cracking.

Game over?

Are we about to spawn a generation of Pharmacists whose focus is concentrated on satisfying the demands of a store manager to the detriment of patient care?

The answer seems to be yes……… not happy, Jan!

Although Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer would no doubt be pleased.