News

THINK LIKE A BANKER WHEN SEEKING FINANCE FOR YOUR PHARMACY

Understanding how banks think and behave - and what they look at in a business - is essential for pharmacy owners, says Sigma Financial Services. Proper financing, and an understanding of how banks think and behave, is essential to the survival of your pharmacy business. It is during the good times that you build your

TOP LABOUR COSTS AND RISKS FOR YOUR PHARMACY TO AVOID

For most small retail businesses, wages represent a significant outgoing. In pharmacy, they represent the largest controllable cost. Good people come at a cost but they, along with the owner, represent the goodwill of the business on a daily basis. The ability to retain good staff is a key success factor in any business. (This

NAVIGATING PHARMACY IN A COVID WORLD

The Covid-19 pandemic will have a direct and lasting impact on businesses of all sizes. While the full effects of the pandemic are yet to be seen, the uncertainty of shifting restrictions and snap lockdowns, are resulting in an incredibly challenging time for small business owners, including pharmacy owners. Over the past few months, we

WHO CARES ABOUT A HOLE IN THE WALL AND OTHER REINSTATEMENT ISSUES

It is surprising how often I come across a situation where a pharmacy business has obviously grown over time and operates from 2 adjoining premises which have been linked by the pharmacist creating a large hole in (or indeed removing) the dividing wall. For a prospective pharmacy buyer looking at buying a pharmacy business operating

PROFIT FROM MOTIVATED AND ENGAGED PHARMACY STAFF

Our long experience tells us that there are five fundamentals that can go wrong in a pharmacy business. One of those is motivation and remuneration of staff - but there is another aspect of the staffing equation: productivity. Any form of retail is a 'people' business, and this is more so in pharmacy where purchasers

WHAT CAN CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS DO FOR YOUR PHARMACY?

Preparing annual financial projections and monitoring for your pharmacy is imperative to fully understand and control your pharmacy business model. Cash flow projections provide pharmacy owners with first-hand insight into the impact of decisions through forecasts that detail their future impacts. These impacts can be positive or negative, allowing you to change your business strategy

BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING

In deciding to own and operate a pharmacy business, there is no doubt that the pharmacy owner will have a long-term goal of maximising the value of their business. While pharmacy business owners are typically more comfortable in developing and regularly reviewing short-term business operational and marketing plans to assist in the successful day-to-day operation

7 VITAL STATISTICS TO INCREASE YOUR PHARMACY PROFITS

It's said in many a business course that it's not possible to manage what you're not measuring. When the team at Sigma Financial Services conducts comprehensive Finance Health Checks with our customers, there are specific sets of figures that we examine in order to diagnose underlying problems in a pharmacy. Tracking certain vital statistics of

THE FUNDAMENT KPI’S EVERY PHARMACY OWNER NEEDS TO MEASURE

In today’s highly competitive environment, effectively using data has never been more crucial. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting allows pharmacy owners to gain deeper insights into their business performance, and ultimately gain a competitive advantage. What is KPI Reporting? KPI reporting is a business performance tool that effectively summarises and visualises KPI’s. By having a

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BRAND FOR YOUR PHARMACY

Peter Lane, Head of Brand Development explains why Sigma Healthcare offers such a wide range of pharmacy brands. Unlike other pharmacy groups, Sigma Healthcare has built up a stable of diverse pharmacy brands. They include long-standing Australian names, a variety of discount chains, trusted regional and niche brands - like the nationally expanding WholeLife, our