NUMARK


AS WE APPRoAch thE ENd of 2016 – A YEAR of ovERWhElmINg chANgE (thINK BRExIt ANd US ElEctIoN IN PARtIcUlAR!) – WAYNE hARRISoN, mEmBERShIP SERvIcES mANAgER At NUmARK hERAldS thE ARRIvAl of…


A BRANd NEW WoRld


W


ell, this month it seems to be all about the brand…


tesco went head-to-head with Unilever in the battle of who pays the Brexit induced increase in household goods. (A news story so important that at one point BBc were providing a ‘minute-by-minute update’, despite my local tesco not running out of marmite once!)


Brand trump v Brand clinton went head to head in three live debates to fight for the crown of the most unpopular US president of all time/ most powerful person in the world - resulting in a Brexit-like outcome.


And (perhaps most importantly) brand toblerone has been in the news for reducing the size of its chocolate bar to much public outcry. All of this begs the question - is there really ‘no such thing as bad publicity?’


As we know all too well in pharmacy, the power of a successful brand can never be underestimated. You only have to think of the amount of patients that will only accept a certain brand or manufacturer dispensed when the prescription has been


60 - PhARmAcY IN focUS


written generically. often they not only specifically ask for the brand, but demand it or will go elsewhere.


having a strong brand is an area that we at Numark pride ourselves on. despite constant enhancements and improvements to the depth and breadth of the Numark offering, quite rightly, our Numark own brand range remains the jewel in our crown.


there is growing concern that one ‘brand’ in Northern Ireland (NI) continues to cause real margin issues for the vast majority of contractors – branded generics.


this recent increase in popularity is causing quite a stir, especially in light of the hSc announcement of further additions to the current list of branded generics that contractors are


“hAvINg A StRoNg BRANd IS AN AREA


thAt WE At NUmARK PRIdE oURSElvES oN. dESPItE coNStANt ENhANcEmENtS ANd


ImPRovEmENtS to thE dEPth ANd BREAdth of thE NUmARK offERINg, qUItE RIghtlY,


oUR NUmARK oWN BRANd RANgE REmAINS thE JEWEl IN oUR cRoWN”


firstly, it has our name on it, so it represents the quality that we expect, and secondly (arguably most importantly) it supports our members in gaining a great cash margin from a range that is exclusively available to independent pharmacies.


how many other pharmacy brands in our market can say that? Whilst we often embrace and support brands,


now required to dispense. If it helps at all (and I suspect it won’t), this isn’t just an issue for NI pharmacies. It is also gathering pace in South Wales and some pockets of England.


In a ‘more for less’ environment where pharmacies are often dispensing branded lines at a loss (ie, almost all direct to Pharmacy products vs clawback) the


Wayne harrison,


membership services manager, Numark


introduction of branded generics to replace readily available generics in the market naturally causes concern for contractors.


those lines where pharmacies could make any sort of margin to compensate for where they are dispensing at a loss are gradually being eradicated, with contracts between manufacturers and the health board resulting in further losses from independents’ bottom line.


You have to wonder if this is the beginning of ‘dtP2- generics and if so, where will it end?


I can’t be alone in thinking the logic of a pharmacy dispensing a branded generic as opposed to an often cheaper, readily available generic cannot be a sustainable model.


the definition of a brand is ‘a name, design, or other feature that distinguishes one seller's products from those of others’. I can proudly state that the Numark own brand range ticks all of those boxes, but I am not sure all branded generics do. •


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