Death of pharmacies

dm plans online store for over-the-counter medicines

The drugstore chain dm wants to enter the market for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in Germany. "We will offer non-prescription OTC products online that customers can currently only buy in pharmacies," said dm CEO Christoph Werner.

These products are not allowed to be sold in stores, hence the online store, Werner told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper on Tuesday. The dm boss referred to the decline in the density of pharmacies: statistically speaking, one pharmacy closes every day in Germany. Last week, the Federal Union of German Pharmacists' Associations reported that the number of pharmacies in Germany had fallen to 17,041 last year, the lowest level since 1978. In 2024, there were still 20 pharmacies per 100,000 citizens.

Regulatory changes expected
According to the dm CEO, he is also speculating on regulatory changes in the future. Demographic change is changing customer needs and healthcare costs are rising at the same time, he told the FAZ newspaper. It was foreseeable that something would have to change.

Werner rejected the accusation of accelerating the demise of pharmacies. "Entrepreneurial pharmacists" would have great opportunities after liberalization. "Our aim is therefore not to compete with pharmacies, but to make our contribution to an affordable supply of healthcare products in Germany," he assured.