Biedronka likely to attempt entry to pharmacy market

The vehicle for JM's expansion into the pharmacy sector is Bliska Apteka, a 50-50 joint-venture with the association of Portuguese pharmacists, which has been recruiting personnel for several months now and has already signed an outsourcing deal with Payroll Partner. Although the company declined to comment on its plans, JM's ultimate goal is to develop a nationwide pharmacy chain using its existing network of 830 discount stores. But, says Andrzej Wróbel, president of the National Pharmacy Chamber, Poland's pharmacy market is so saturated that it will not support a large scale new player with more than about 120 outlets, as exemplified by the failure of Euroapteka or Polonez. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) R.M.